Trusting In Your Name
by pulling-the-puzzles-apart
Summary: Best friends since childhood, Blaine and Kurt are separated by violence after the Sadie Hawkins dance at fifteen. In a world where you discover your soulmate's name etched on your palm at seventeen, what will happen when they literally collide in New York years later? Soulmate!Klaine.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: As promised here is my new fic. It's a soulmate story, which I know has been overdone but I couldn't resist when I read the prompt from the gkm. You can read the prompt here (without spaces): glee - kink - meme dot livejournal dot com / 48822 dot html ? thread=62057910

In many ways it follows canon but with some major differences. This will become clearer next chapter. I'm aiming to upload every Saturday, giving my wonderful beta H T Elia, a chance to read and edit. I'm currently writing chapter 5 so updates might get quicker.

Thanks for coming along to read!

* * *

There was one thing that Kurt Hummel could always rely on ever since he'd started high school: Blaine Anderson and his cup of coffee. It had become a thing each morning once they had discovered caffeine. Blaine would greet him each morning by their lockers with a steaming beverage and a warm smile. Today, Kurt desperately needed that waft of mocha to hit his nostrils and as he closed his eyes to take in the scent, he imagined being far, far away.

"Bad morning?" Blaine asked quietly and Kurt reopened his eyes, almost forgetting his best friend was there. Blaine rested sideways on the row of lockers, his warm, honey-coloured eyes, soft and kind amidst the rush of students down the hallway.

"You could say that," Kurt said taking his first sips of coffee and trying to open his locker. "I narrowly missed the jocks by the slushy machine, only to face the usual dumpster toss as I came through to this building. The bin was empty."

"Ouch," Blaine said, flinching at the imagined pain. "Are you okay?"

"It'll probably bruise, but I'm thankful my Marc Jacobs jacket is safe. I don't know why I bother wearing such amazing clothes."

Kurt had sorted the books he needed for next lesson and they started walking to class, coffees in hand.

"Because you look fabulous darling," Blaine said in his best impression of an old-fashioned Diva. Kurt couldn't help but smile and started to wonder what his high school experience would be like without his oldest, gay friend. He'd known Blaine ever since they'd played together as boys and Kurt still couldn't believe he'd met someone at such a young age with such impeccable dress sense and love of musicals. Growing up, they'd have tea in one of their gardens, or sing along to songs in their bedroom. When they had started high school this year it was inevitable that they remained together, still best friends, never apart.

As he looked down the corridor he could see the usual flurry of a group of students. He exchanged a knowing glance with Blaine and rolled his eyes. Another girl had discovered her soulmate. She was a junior, just turned seventeen and her body reacted in the way it was expected. Amidst all the changes brought upon by puberty, seventeen year olds awoke on their birthday with the name of their soulmate etched on their hand, palm side. Kurt knew that most juniors knew each other's birthday, knew when a name would appear on their classmate's hand, but it was always advisable to hide the name. Hands would be clutched closer to chests or hidden under sleeve cuffs in order to keep it a secret. This girl had apparently turned seventeen last week, but didn't know her soulmate, which was why the bustle looked particularly chaotic on the way to class. She had bumped into someone, and the result was beautiful to watch, causing people to stop in their tracks. Students pushed and shoved on a day-to-day basis, but when two unsuspecting soulmates collided they would almost bounce apart and time would slow down. Heartbeats would change, a spark would fly and they would see clearly exactly where they should be and who would fill their days. Life was suddenly wonderful.

This girl —whose name was Milly, as Kurt vaguely recalled— stopped to see who she had bumped into and the guy did the same. A nervous junior with a tall gangly frame and a crop of curly brown hair, who had turned seventeen last month, was standing still, watching her in awe. Their eyes searched each other, everything became clear and they shared a smile, tentative and shy, as their hands reached for each other. Slowly, surely, hands were clutched and they were pulled together, every part touching as they hugged for the first time. People around them clapped loudly, someone yelled 'yeah!' and then the warning bell went. Everyone snapped out of their reverie and rushed to class once again, leaving the new couple to stare wondrously into each other's eyes. Kurt pulled a face.

"I would hate to discover my soulmate in that way," he said to Blaine as they rushed to class. "In front of everyone and in _school_. So unromantic."

Blaine laughed at his best friend's disgusted expression.

"Well the chances of us discovering our soulmate before college is highly unlikely anyway," Blaine said as they took their seats in class. "New York is the dream and that is where our soulmates will be. I just know it."

"New York," Kurt said dreamily, imagining the bright lights of Broadway and the bustle of Times Square. "Still going together?" He asked tentatively.

Blaine smiled. "Try to stop me," he said.

The rest of the class bundled in, chatting to the people around them. Kurt and Blaine were yet another pair of faces.

"What if we turned out to be each other's soulmates?" Blaine was shy in asking. Kurt was his oldest friend, sometimes like a brother. At other times, when Kurt's eyes shone the perfect blue, or when he bent over to pick up a pencil, there was something that sizzled. Blaine thought he was too young to know what the feeling meant, or how to proceed without ruining a friendship he treasured above everything. It was easier to ignore the stirring in his stomach when Kurt smiled.

Kurt looked at him, thinking it through, though Blaine was happy he didn't look scared.

"I don't know," Kurt said quietly. "I guess it would be strange in a way. I've known you for my whole life."

"That might be a good thing," Blaine said, shrugging to give the impression he hadn't thought about it so much.

"Well whoever they are, they will have to be pretty fantastic," Kurt quipped, his sass back to its normal capacity. "I won't take just anyone." His shoulders sagged. "It's two years before we find out anyway. Another three whole years before we can get away from this little town."

Blaine nodded. They were brought to attention by the teacher when she came in and their discussion of their bright futures ended. But as usual they met in the cafeteria at lunch catching up with Mercedes and Tina.

"Have you heard about the Sadie Hawkins dance that has been organised?" Tina said excitedly. "The girls finally have all the power." She looked a little crazy and Blaine's eyes widened in mock fear as he turned to Kurt.

"What are you planning on doing?" he asked Kurt.

"Well I don't plan on waiting for a girl to ask me," he said, laughing.

"Fancy going together?" Blaine asked and everyone stopped eating to stare at their friends in surprise. "What?" Blaine asked, waiting for a response but finding none. "We're friends, _gay_ friends, it would be silly for us to wait for people to come to us. Everyone knows we're gay."

"And you could make a statement by going together!" Rachel said, suddenly understanding and jumping aboard.

"Like we're gay and we just don't care?" Kurt quipped.

"Exactly!" Rachel said excitedly completely missing Kurt's sarcasm. "You'll be so fabulous together."

"Well that does sound like something we might be," Kurt said smiling at Blaine who joined in with the laughing.

"Great, I'll let you plan your own outfit," Blaine said. Kurt stared into space, already dreaming of the perfect homage to Alexander McQueen and Blaine laughed. Now if only he could persuade his dad to take them in his car.

* * *

Blaine had told his parents he was gay just last week. It was a simple sit down after dinner and they had stared at him like he'd gone completely mad.

"Are you sure? You're only fifteen," his mother, Gabriella, had asked and he had nodded.

"Yes mom, I've felt this way for a while."

"Attracted to boys?" his father, Richard had asked, just sheer incomprehension on his face.

"Yes."

"I don't understand," Richard continued. "You have a boyfriend?" Like the notion seemed too ridiculous.

"Not at the moment, I want to wait until I find my soulmate," Blaine said quietly, the romantic notion making him blush in embarrassment in front of his traditional father.

"Oh no one worries about that nowadays," Gabriella said. "Have some fun while you're young. You might not meet them until much later anyway."

"I don't know anyone whose soulmate has been of the same sex," Richard started, musing out loud.

"It is possible darling," Gabriella said, touching his arm to reassure. "You know the Watsons? They know someone whose son is gay and found his soulmate when they were 21."

"A friend of a friend's son is the only example you have to go on?" Richard asked. "Come on Gaby, you know this will be difficult for Blaine."

Blaine hated that he was a cause of worry for his parents, so he said the first thing he could think of to make it easier for them.

"Kurt's gay too."

"Kurt?" Richard exclaimed.

"But only friends know, he hasn't told his dad yet." Blaine hadn't meant to 'out' his friend, he felt dreadful. "Don't tell anyone, _please_."

"Of course not, Blaine," Gabriella said, resting her hand on his to comfort.

Blaine recalled that day a few months ago when they had been sitting on his bed, his parents away and flicking through magazines. Blaine's eye had alighted on a poster of Robert Pattinson, dark, brooding with just the right amount of guy-liner and he had swooned. Kurt was rearranging and sorting his closet when Blaine asked him.

"Kurt, do you find Robert Pattinson attractive?"

They'd never had such discussions before, never admitting finding anyone attractive, let alone someone of the same sex. Kurt turned to face Blaine, his body still mainly in Blaine's closet, which made Blaine smile internally. Then Kurt spoke.

"Yes," Kurt said slowly as if he could take it back at any time. Blaine nodded.

"Me too," Blaine whispered and Kurt sighed with relief. He'd suspected that Blaine wouldn't judge, but he was never sure. Now he could say what he had wanted to say for a while.

"Blaine, I think I'm gay," Kurt said quietly, still standing by the closet, though now standing taller.

"Me too," Blaine said and the relief was palpable. Kurt immediately relaxed his pose and fell to Blaine's bed, crossing his legs and looking so earnest that Blaine could only beam.

"You're gay!" Kurt exclaimed. "How long have you known?"

"I guess I've known for a while. I always notice the hot guys, never really getting what they say about the girls. I've known I was different, I just figured that if _you_ still liked me as a friend then I wasn't so strange."

"Are you going to tell people? What about your parents?"

"I think I'll leave it for a while, make sure I feel more secure in myself. I don't want them to think I haven't thought about it all."

"Good idea," Kurt said nodding sagely. "I won't tell my dad yet, not until the need arises."

"Okay," Blaine said. "I feel better now that you know, though." He smiled.

"It's our secret," Kurt said, matching Blaine's smile.

They had told friends shortly after, no one commenting or minding at all, which was a relief. Kurt knew he always had Blaine to go through the same experience with. They discussed and researched gay soulmates and found out it made no difference. Kurt was relieved to have at least one friend he could share all this new stuff with. Although his friends knew he was gay, the thought of telling his dad scared him. When Blaine told Kurt he had told his parents, he was visibly shocked.

"You told them?"

"Yeah, is that okay?"

"How did it go?" Kurt asked.

"I think they were shocked, but they took it well in the end. They worry how we will be viewed in the light of soulmate phenomenon but…"

"You told them _I_ was gay?!"

"I'm sorry Kurt, I didn't mean to 'out' you," Blaine rushed out, "I thought it would help them if they knew I wasn't the only one. I made them promise not to tell anyone."

"Okay," Kurt relaxed a little upon seeing Blaine's worried face. "I just can't imagine telling my dad anytime soon."

"Why? He loves you, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"I know he loves me, but my mom was always better at that kind of stuff. I know he feels awkward around me, like he's never sure what to say. I mean when I start talking about 'The Sound of Music', he just looks confused."

"Well whenever you tell him, I'll be there for you."

Kurt looked at Blaine with something akin to adoration then, but he didn't know that Blaine wouldn't be able to stick to his promise after all.

* * *

The night of the Sadie Hawkins dance started off in a haze of colour and loud music. Blaine's father picked up Kurt and they arrived together with linked arms and beaming smiles, announcing to the packed hall that they were gay and going together. Such a bold statement from two fifteen year olds was met with raised eyebrows and a few pointing fingers amidst whispered sniggers, but mostly people left them alone. They danced with their friends and topped up their non-alcoholic drinks and generally had the best night ever. The jocks looked over, disgusted at two guys dancing together, but in the glaring, popping lights of the party, Kurt and Blaine were protected from the hate. It was only as they left that it became an issue.

Richard had agreed to meet them a little way down the road as the school car park was bound to be full. So they walked hand in hand after saying goodbye to Mercedes, Tina and Artie, oblivious to the huddle of guys following them at a faster pace.

"What are you…"

Kurt didn't have time to finish his question before they jumped them from behind and pummelled them to the ground.

"Get off!" Blaine exclaimed, trying to land a punch, but he was too slow and there were too many.

"We're just sending you a message," one guy said, loud and clear before landing some punches of his own, keeping both Kurt and Blaine on the ground.

"Don't be parading your gay shit around here!" another sneered, kicking them while they were down. The beating continued until there was no sound from the boys on the ground.

"I think they understand now."

And after a final kick from each, the attackers were gone.

* * *

"Blaine?" Kurt coughed until his voice sounded less like he'd eaten sand, but it was painful and he hissed, trying to sit up. He looked down at his dusty outfit and tears filled his eyes; their evening, once so bright and cheery, had ended so badly. Blaine wasn't answering.

Kurt sat up as best he could, wincing in pain until he could see Blaine clearer. He was crumpled up, his body twisted and his eye very clearly swollen under the blood on his face. Blaine still didn't respond as Kurt moved his shoulder and called his name, his voice ringing out in panic. Kurt immediately called his dad and then the police. They brought an ambulance and Blaine still hadn't regained consciousness by the time he was placed on a stretcher and led inside. Kurt silently cried all the way to the hospital, not able to answer Burt's questions, too distraught at the sight of his best friend in such a state. Blaine's parents were called and they met them at the hospital.

Once Kurt was checked over, cleaned and told he had broken a rib, which was strapped to make sure it would heal, he went to Blaine's room. Kurt had bruises on his body and one on the side of his face, which had narrowly escaped his eye. Blaine's parents were standing outside and as soon as Richard saw Kurt and Burt approach, his face took on a steely quality.

"Kurt, are you okay?" Gabriella said, taking his hand.

"Yes, yeah I'm fine," he said quickly. "How's Blaine? Is he awake?"

"He won't be awake yet," she said sadly. "They've sedated him. He has several broken ribs and concussion, but he'll be ok. He's alive."

"Can I see him?" Kurt asked, not really waiting for an answer before he started to walk towards the door. He was stopped by a hand on his elbow.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Richard said quietly and Kurt turned in surprise. Burt was instantly suspicious.

"Why? They're best friends," Burt said, coming closer.

Richard gave Kurt a pointed look, which told Kurt all he needed to know. He blamed Kurt for this attack.

"Blaine needs his rest," Richard continued, his voice cool and calm. "I think it might be best if you see him another day."

Kurt knew that Blaine had told his father he was gay, now was his chance to explain what had happened, make it quite clear that this was a hate crime. The idea that he might blame either Blaine or himself was horrible, but he suddenly felt weak. He would give Richard his space for the time being.

In fact, Kurt returned the following day to find the room empty. He begged a nurse to tell him what had happened, but as he wasn't family it was nearly impossible.

"Please," he begged, "he's my best friend. I need to know if he's okay."

"He went home, that's all I can say."

Kurt repeatedly tried to call both Blaine's phone and his house, but no one answered and he was left desperate. He went back home, dejected and low to find his dad was already there.

"You're home? I thought you'd be seeing Blaine at the hospital," Burt said.

"He's gone home," Kurt said, "and he's not answering his phone."

"What's going on, Kurt?" Burt said, sitting down at the kitchen table expecting Kurt to do the same. Kurt remained standing.

"They blame me for the attack. I guess they don't want Blaine to see me anymore."

"What? What are you talking about?" Burt was instantly on his feet. "Those kids attacked you. How can Blaine's parents blame you?"

Kurt finally sat down. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, not amidst all of this. He took a deep breath.

"Because Blaine and I are gay."

Kurt stared at his hands, determined not to meet his dad's gaze. Burt paused and took a seat.

"Okay," he finally said, his tone neutral. "Why does that mean this is your fault?"

Kurt looked up quickly.

"Because they attacked us for that reason, dad," Kurt said. "Those guys didn't like the fact that we're gay. They normally leave Blaine alone, but that time they didn't."

Kurt looked infinitely sad that the world was this way and Burt wanted to change it.

"You're not bothered that I'm gay?"

"I know," Burt said calmly and Kurt was yet again surprised by his dad. "I've known since you were three. All you wanted for your birthday was a pair of sensible heels. I guess I'm not totally in love with the idea, but if that's who you are, there's nothing I can do about it. And I love you just as much."

Burt was so sincere, the love he had for his son so evident on his face, that Kurt felt the tension leave his shoulders and his eyes filled with relieved tears. Burt simply placed his hand on Kurt's shoulder, letting him know he was there and Kurt immediately hugged him.

"Thanks for telling me, Kurt."

The relief on Kurt's face was noticeable and Burt smiled at the courage it must have taken.

"Now I think you need to go over to see Blaine, talk to his dad," he said. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I think I should go by myself," Kurt said. "I don't know what I can do to make it better, but I have to try."

* * *

"I don't think you should see Blaine for a while."

Richard was calm and cold as he opened the door, and in fear that they might be overheard, he stepped outside, closing it slightly behind him.

"But he's my best friend," Kurt said, indignant and getting louder. Richard looked startled, desperate to avoid a confrontation. "I have to see him, I need to know he's okay."

"He's in bed and will need all the rest he can get before going back to school. We won't be trying to find those boys that attacked you and it'll all blow over."

"What?!" Kurt shouted and Richard fully closed the door, coming closer so Kurt was forced to walk backwards down the doorsteps. "They'll get away with it?"

"I think it's best, Blaine wants it to all go away."

Kurt knew Blaine would hate that, would want justice; they couldn't get away with it. If only he could speak to Blaine.

"Please let me talk to him, please…"

Richard nearly let him, his determined expression faltered slightly, but then the screen of immutability went back up. He straightened his back.

"I think it will be best if you don't see Blaine for a while, give him a break," he said quietly, hoping Kurt would see reason. "Allow him to heal in peace."

Kurt realised it was futile. He couldn't break into someone's house against their wishes, he would have to wait. His shoulders sagged and he turned to leave.

"Just tell Blaine I miss him," he said quietly. "Make sure he knows I care and that I'll wait to hear from him."

Richard nodded with no intent to carry out any of Kurt's wishes.

* * *

Kurt texted repeatedly, but didn't try to see Blaine again. He suspected Blaine's father was keeping him inside the house and knew that as soon as Blaine returned to school it would be easier. Except that time never came. A week went by and eventually it was announced that Blaine had left to go to a school nearer other members of his family. Just an announcement in homeroom and everyone stared at Kurt, knowing how inseparable they had been. Kurt looked lost.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, by his side. "Where has Blaine gone?"

"He hasn't returned my texts," Kurt said weakly, having no idea why it had all gone so terribly wrong. "His dad won't let me see him."

"But he's moved away," Rachel said as if he hadn't heard. "You won't be able to see him again."

The thought made Kurt's eyes fill. Texting hadn't worked; visiting was ignored. He had no idea what Blaine thought of him or what Richard had done in order to convince Blaine not to contact him. It seemed impossible.

After school he tried Blaine's house one more time, but to no avail. The house was 'for sale', completely empty and Kurt marvelled that they had been able to leave the town so quickly. There was a pang in his chest that his best friend, someone he had grown up with, laughed and cried with, had deserted him so easily. Blaine hadn't fought for their friendship, only believed the lies Richard must have told to convince him to leave without saying goodbye.

The weeks ahead were lonely and miserable without Blaine. No one met him at his locker with a coffee, no one helped him thumb through old copies of Vogue or admire Bette Davis in 'All About Eve'. There were friends, Mercedes and Rachel being the closest, but no one could replace Blaine.

But as a new year started and Kurt became a sophomore, something happened that started to fill the void and make him realise that maybe life was worth living again.

Glee club.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** My awesome beta H T Elia managed to get it back to me early so here you are my lovely readers… another chapter!

This one is all about Kurt, Blaine comes in next chapter. I use a lot of season 2 but change it slightly to fit in with this soulmate universe. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Hello, I'm Kurt Hummel and I'll be singing 'Mr Cellophane'."

They were a small group and Kurt could honestly say that he didn't like many of them, but in one tiny choir room he started to feel like he was alive again. With Blaine, he had felt confident in his skin, knowing there was someone who was similar to him and understood how he felt. Now he was the only openly gay kid in school and he was marked as different. The daily dumpster tosses still occurred and he had to make sure he had at least one change of clothes in his locker at all times, in case of slushy facials. Everyone knew he was gay, but it didn't stop him wanting to be treated the same as every one else. His confidence only went so far.

His dad knew he was gay, but without Blaine, Kurt started to think that his life might be easier if he denied, a little, of who he was. The beating, the very obvious way he had been knocked down, affected Kurt, made him doubt. High school was another three years, perhaps he should try to blend in more, he thought.

So once his sophomore year started, he tried out for the kicker role on the football field. He briefly imagined Blaine watching him try out, as he performed his little 'Single Ladies' dance and kicked as precisely as he could. He wondered if Blaine might be proud of him, but amidst the hugs from impressed football players, Kurt realised Blaine no longer cared what he did.

As soon as Blaine left town, Kurt tried to contact him through all avenues open to him. He emailed, left messages on Facebook, text – but nothing seemed to get through and all lines of communication seemed to now be denied. Blaine was no longer online and Kurt had no forwarding address. There was no mention of him at school, life continued and even Kurt's friends no longer said his name out loud. Kurt started to doubt whether he had even existed. He remained a constant presence in Kurt's life, though invisible. A strong sense that Blaine might know what he was up to or be able to see him, came to him every so often. He was never there, but a persistent image in his head.

As he kicked the ball over the line in his first match, his dad was so proud, jumping up and down afterwards, telling everyone this was his son. When they got home, Kurt began to follow his skincare regimen carefully, as Burt came to congratulate him once again.

"Night time skin care is a big part of my post-game ritual," Kurt explained as he saw Burt through the mirror.

"I don't know what to say about that," Burt said, laughing slightly. "I was really proud of you tonight, Kurt. I wish your mom would have been there… I mean alive."

"Thanks."

Burt continued to look at Kurt through the mirror, who remained in his seat, wondering what his father wanted to say.

"You know I love you just the way you are, right?" Burt said carefully. "You don't have to change for anyone, Kurt. I mean that."

Kurt nodded slowly.

"Being part of the Glee club and football has really shown me that I can be anything," Kurt began, but Burt shook his head.

"You can do anything that you put your mind to, Kurt, but you are 'you' and no one can take that away from you. Don't let what happened with Blaine change you."

Kurt opened his mouth in surprise; hearing someone say his name out loud was shocking, it brought everything back.

"Those guys didn't win, they can't knock you down. Blaine ran; he ran away for whatever reason, but you don't have to change or let them get to you."

Kurt felt his eyes sting with tears he hadn't allowed himself to cry over his lost friend. Burt seemed to understand, coming closer to rest his hand on Kurt's shoulder.

"Whether you meet Blaine again or not, don't let anyone grind you down. It wasn't your fault Kurt. They just don't understand your right to love whoever you want."

Kurt could only nod and accept his father's words; the hurt was slowly eating away at his insides.

* * *

His sophomore year went by in a rush of colourful outfits and awesome songs: theatricality and fierce friendships. He put his all into glee club, Mercedes quickly becoming his best friend and Rachel someone he loved to hate. Although he always missed Blaine, through new school experiences, he could start to imagine that he had never been there. School life was bearable until Miss Pillsbury came to tell him the awful news early on in his junior year.

His father's heart attack left him shaken. He had never believed in god, but his friends insisted he believe in something. It was only when faced with becoming an orphan – losing the one person that had remained in his life – that Kurt reassessed his existence. He had lost his mother and Blaine. He couldn't lose his dad. So he begged and clung onto his hand for dear life, promising that although he had no obvious faith, he _did_ believe in his relationship with his father. When Burt squeezed his finger he silently vowed to do everything in his power to solidify that bond.

Afterwards, Kurt looked after his father, healthy food was prepared and stress was relieved and avoided at all costs. A new boy started school, Sam, and although his sexuality was undetermined for a while, the duet situation only highlighted to Kurt that he was truly alone. With Blaine they could be out and proud together, maybe only friends, but at least never alone. Here, in his junior year, he was the only person that couldn't act on any feelings he might have. As people started to discover their soulmates etched on the palm of their hands, Kurt knew he would never be able to hold hands with a guy he liked down the hallway or slow dance at his prom. Despite what happened afterwards, the Sadie Hawkins dance was a perfect memory. Blaine and Kurt had slow-danced, beaming at each other, knowing the statement of going together was going so well. _Oh how wrong we had been,_ Kurt thought.

He sang 'Victor/Victoria' on his own, determined to be fierce and brave. If there was no one like him at his school, he would use it as an opportunity to shine and become a star. He had an unknown ally in Rachel, who offered to sing a duet with him after his stunning performance on the stage.

"I know you're lonely," she said, as he reapplied his hairspray. "I can't even imagine how it must feel to have feelings in high school that you can't act on. You will probably get a boy's name on your palm and not know who they are, or when you might meet. But you have twelve people who love you just the way you are. You might be lonely, but you're not alone."

There was nothing more isolating than bullying for Kurt. He had become used to the daily dumpster tosses, a gang of knuckleheads trying to prove their power at school. The slushies he could handle, but the pushing became more frequent. Karofsky started to make his life a misery by shoving him at a locker every time he saw him down the corridor, calling out nasty names and pushing his face closer to Kurt who could see the red in his eyes. He had no peace.

Sometimes he had a witness, someone from Glee club would be walking along beside him, but everyone was too scared to take a stand. Whenever Kurt was on his own, he would call out, refuse to be pushed down and demand that it stop. Mr Schue couldn't help, refused to acknowledge that it was a problem within the school. Kurt knew he would have to suffer alone.

He got to a boiling point one day when he'd taken teasing for his song selection in glee club and been pushed a little too often by Karofsky. He raced after him, into the locker room and shouted.

"What is your problem? What are you so scared of?"

"Besides you sneaking in here to peek at my junk?"

"Oh yeah, every straight guy's nightmare, that all us gays are out to molest and convert you. Well guess what hamhock, you're not my type."

"Is that right?"

He came closer, more menacing, but Kurt stood his ground.

"Yeah, I don't dig on chubby boys who sweat too much and are going to be bald by the time they're thirty."

Kurt saw the fist come closer, heard the threat of violence, but he still stood there, not backing down. He wondered if Blaine would be proud of him now. An image flashed before his eyes: Blaine's smiling face as they walked hand-in-hand after the dance. They had been so happy leaving school that night and Kurt watched Blaine's face fall as he realized the guys approaching were going to ruin that happiness.

"Get out of my face!" Karofsky shouted, bringing Kurt back to the present. Karofsky was one of the oldest in the year and had discovered something about himself that he didn't want to admit. But here Kurt stood, his flawless face fierce and courageous and Karofsky couldn't stand it any longer. He lunged forward, grabbed Kurt's face and kissed him hard.

Kurt covered his mouth quickly, backing away with a horrified expression, causing Karofsky to be even more frustrated and angry at his behaviour. With one more hard punch on the locker, he was gone.

Karofsky left him alone for a few days, no contact, no shoving against lockers and Kurt did what he could to avoid him. At the end of the week he noticed Karofsky scratching at his palm absently by the lockers and he realized what Karofsky must have noticed. He was gay and had a male name on his palm.

He couldn't call him out on the kiss, couldn't out him like that, so he left it, avoided him as much as possible, until one day Karofsky approached him again.

"Question for you," Karofsky said, hitting Kurt's shoulder hard to get his attention. "You tell anyone else what happened? How you kissed me?" He looked horrified to even say the words.

"_You_ kissed _me_ and I understand how hard it is for you to deal with, so no I haven't told anyone."

"Good," Karofsky said, looking relieved. "You keep it that way, because if you do, I'm going to kill you."

The air stilled around him, almost as if all the music in the world stopped and Kurt only resumed breathing as Karofsky left. He was trapped here, in this school without support, no one to notice. He had never felt more alone.

* * *

With no money for private education, Kurt had to remain at McKinley, becoming more and more isolated by Karofsky's behaviour. When asked if he was okay, he would merely nod or give simple answers; the truth would take too long to explain, even to his dad. Instead he would get lost in his dreams of the future, sing to music in his bedroom and aim to give the best glee performances each week. Rachel and Mercedes cared, tried to stick by him whenever they could, but even Rachel's persistence wasn't a match for Karofsky's menacing behaviour. Occasionally, Karofsky would approach him, knowing that Kurt was alone, and speak near his ear. Names were one thing, but Kurt would come to dread the quieter words of threat whispered as Karofsky passed. Kurt would blink and he would be gone, but the words stayed, seeming to scratch in his heart and make him believe he was worthless. As he looked in the mirror at home he no longer saw the fierce boy that wasn't afraid to be different. Now he was burnt, damaged by how others viewed him. He didn't want to fight anymore for his right to be fabulous.

Mercedes agreed to go to the prom with him, as neither of them had dates and at least it was good to go as friends. The thought of prom reminded him of the Sadie Hawkins dance with Blaine and he didn't want to draw attention to himself this time. He had a fleeting idea of creating his own outfit in homage to Alexander McQueen but, too scared to rock the boat, he planned to wear a simple black suit instead.

"Kurt, are you okay?" Mercedes asked one morning by the lockers, prom slowly approaching. He looked up in surprise. His grey baggy sweater made his pale face sag under the lack of inspiration. Mercedes looked concerned.

"I know you've been different lately and I worry about you," she said quietly, coming in closer in case he didn't want others to hear. "You're not as fabulous as you used to be and I miss you."

Kurt was under the impression that no one noticed. He rarely smiled anymore, just kept it together for school, shone a little in glee club, but felt weighed down by it all. He felt the cracks begin to show as he looked on Mercedes' concerned face. His eyes filled with tears.

"I'm okay," he whispered, trying to keep the strain in his voice from showing.

"You're not, Kurt," she said a little louder. "We've all noticed, but no one wanted to say anything. We know you're under a lot of pressure right now and we get that Karofsky is horrible, but we all miss you."

His stomach churned at the thought they'd been discussing him with no real plan to support or help. He felt angry.

"So you want me to magically morph back into how I was before, like nothing has happened?" he sneered. "My life is a living hell and no one seems to notice. Karofsky can do what he likes, because he's a jock and he's careful enough to be violent or threatening when no teacher is about. I suffer this on my own, Mercedes," he almost shouted. Her eyes started to fill with tears, that he was right, and she didn't know what to do. "My best friend leaves me when the going gets tough and I'm left on my own!" He shouted the last three words, leaving Mercedes trembling slightly where she stood, too helpless to offer any real support. He waited for a while, willing her to say something that would remove the pain. She opened her mouth to finally speak.

"It's your birthday next week," she said weakly. "You'll discover the name of your soulmate soon."

Kurt had almost forgotten his birthday was eminent, just a few days before prom and he felt slightly happier at the thought. His soulmate was out there somewhere. His soulmate was out there somewhere. He could live for that, but staring at Mercedes now, aware that he was alone, facing this on his own: Kurt was fed up.

"That doesn't help me _now_," he said, his bitch face returning, truly feeling sick and tired of it all. "My soulmate isn't here _now_."

"Maybe not," she said sadly. "I don't know mine either, but just maybe they'll be perfect and something to look forward to in your future." He became a little calmer at the thought. "Maybe you should live for them, make sure when you do meet them that you'll be the perfect version of yourself. The Kurt Hummel I know wouldn't just go to prom in a simple black suit. The Kurt Hummel I know designs and wears fabulous outfits that deserve to be seen."

Kurt felt a little weak at the thought. He'd been beaten down, made to feel small and diminished and he had let them win. The idea of wearing something slightly daring seemed too big, too scary so he knew something had to change.

"I _did_ have an idea," he said quietly, his face showing just a hint of that Kurt magic that made Mercedes beam.

"Good, that's more like it," she said. "I need my arm gay when I go into that hall."

* * *

Kurt had finally finished his outfit and he sat in his window seat, admiring the final product as it adorned the mannequin. It was the night before his seventeenth birthday, the day he would find the name of his soulmate etched on his palm. He remembered the conversation he had with Blaine, wondering if they would be each other's soulmates, knowing that they might meet someone else in New York – the dreams of the big city and all its lights. Kurt laughed to himself as he watched the darkened sky light up with a million stars. It seemed ridiculous now, with Blaine so far away. Kurt knew his soulmate would never leave him.

The window seat had been his favourite part of his bedroom as he grew up. He often sat there with his mother as she read bedtime stories; the night sky a perfect backdrop to his imagination. He would imagine he could fly away like Peter Pan or just about see the man on the moon from where he sat. His mother would gently curl the lock of hair on his forehead as she sang, or kissed his head as she made up stories. He was nursed through sicknesses there and rocked to sleep when he had nightmares. As Kurt sat there now, he realized he'd avoided sitting in that very spot for a while, the seat so locked up in his sweet childhood that it seemed silly now. He saw the clear sky littered with stars and remembered wishing for his soulmate on a shooting star – hoping that wherever his soulmate was, he was safe and happy. Kurt found himself humming a familiar song as he wished again.

_Goodnight, my someone,_

_Goodnight, my love,_

_Sleep tight, my someone, _

_Sleep tight, my love._

_Our star is shining it's brightest light_

_For goodnight, my love, for goodnight._

_Sweet dreams be yours, dear,_

_If dreams there be_

_Sweet dreams to carry you close to me._

_I wish they may and I wish they might_

_Now goodnight, my someone, goodnight._

_True love can be whispered from heart to heart_

_When lovers are parted they say_

_But I must depend on a wish and a star_

_As long as my heart doesn't know who you are._

_Sweet dreams be yours dear,_

_If dreams there be_

_Sweet dreams to carry you close to me._

_I wish they may and I wish they might_

_Now goodnight, my someone, goodnight._

_Goodnight,_

_Goodnight._

He could only wish that wherever his soulmate was, that he would find him soon and take Kurt away; a long way away from this hell he was living in.

* * *

Kurt was startled awake. He had tried to avoid sleeping so he would be awake to feel the expected tingle on his palm, but his body had betrayed him. He felt along his palm in the dark and struggled to turn his bedside lamp on.

It took a while for his eyes to adjust, his skin registering the familiar mark before his eyes. The script was cursive and twirling at the edges but the name was unmistakable:

_Blaine Anderson_

Kurt's breath stopped.

Blaine was his soulmate. It couldn't be. If Blaine was his soulmate, surely he would have gotten in touch by now. Soulmates weren't supposed to part, or voluntarily leave each other. Kurt knew Blaine's birthday had been two months ago, more than enough time for him to get in contact. Kurt hadn't gone anywhere. His heart sank. If Blaine was his soulmate, he already knew, which meant he had decided Kurt wasn't worth it. Whatever damage had been done was too much. Kurt felt his eyes fill with tears. There would be no accidental press of bodies where their souls would reawaken. There would be no magical moment where life became 'right' and a purpose given. If Kurt thought he felt alone before, nothing matched the feeling of utter hopelessness that filled his heart now.

* * *

David Karofsky was announced as prom king, as Kurt looked on from the back. He was planning to sneak out early, before the rush at the end, but he stopped just before the door as he heard the words that would still his heartbeat too.

"And now 2011 William McKinley High prom queen, with an overwhelming number of write-in votes is… Kurt Hummel."

There was an eerie silence where Kurt thought he could hear a pin drop. The pointed stares, the claps from the side of the room, made him feel like he was in a bad horror movie where the camera would go closer rather quickly. He ran and never looked back. Kurt Hummel wouldn't accept the title, wouldn't show off his fabulous Alexander McQueen inspired outfit. He would hide away, no reason to take the humiliation, his cheeks streams of tears.

As he drove home, his phone beeping with a slew of text messages, he couldn't help but cry out in his disappointment.

"Blaine, where are you?"

* * *

**Song quoted**:

'Goodnight my Someone' from 'The Music Man'


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Sorry for the delay, think I'll have to go back to just weekends for the time being. In this chapter I borrow quite a few lines from season 3, re-imagined in my little soulmate universe. Sebastian and Karofsky appear, so enjoy!

Thanks again to my beta H T Elia :)

* * *

Blaine loved the weight of the punch bag as he pounded hard, and the tight pain in his biceps as the punches landed on their target. His hair, normally so confined and styled perfectly, was curly at the front as sweat sprung out on his face. With a clenched jaw, he took out his frustrations on the bag, imagining the faces of bullies and taking it as the bag came back. No one would beat him again, he wouldn't let them win.

His prestigious school, full of spoiled brats with far too much money, had a superb gym and boxing facility, one of its many perks. He trained every day before class, as his evenings were filled with study and any one of the many clubs to which he belonged. Blaine Anderson made it his priority to succeed in every single part of his life. There was no place for failure or lacklustre achievement. He was to be the best.

It was tiring though, living this life where it was only worth ringing home when he had received an accolade or passed with flying colours. School life was a pre-cursor to his real life, not the party where friends were made and dreams were wished for. His days were filled with achievements or preparations for greatness; nothing had the sole purpose of 'fun'. He found his days were lonely when he was left to his own thoughts, so he rarely allowed himself time alone. He would end up in his dorm room at curfew only to sleep and start again the following day. His friends were boys like him, preparing for businesses their father's owned or careers that were planned for them. Occasionally one of the guys would choose a different path, but they were always successful, always a high wage earner. Lawyers, doctors, accountants – all came out of Beaumont Academy. Greatness breeds greatness.

His glee club had been cancelled this week, no rehearsals due to illness in the council, and Blaine filled his time with more training. Less time to think, more time to feel that solid weight against his clenched fists. He came back to his single dorm, after dinner and a shower, and lay on his bed fully clothed. He was too wired to sleep, he knew, so he didn't even bother to change into his monogrammed pajamas. It was the night before his seventeenth birthday and no amount of punching was going to let him forget that. He stared at the ceiling, kept imagining he could feel the itch along his palm. He would check in the glow of his desk light and look away in disappointment. There was only one person he knew at his school that he would be slightly interested in, but though they had shared a kiss on a sort-of date, Blaine's heart wasn't in it. He knew, though he didn't want to admit it, that the connection between them was so weak that he could never be his soulmate.

After a while, noises outside his room died down and he could think properly. Memories of long ago forgotten conversations, whispered straight from the heart, came in and out of focus on his mind's stage. New York was still a dream in the distance, but Blaine suspected he had been right all along; his soulmate would be there, in the city that never sleeps. He wondered what he would look like, what he would do for a living, how long in the future until they meet. No one inspired him at Beaumont; everything was driven by the concept of singularity and independence. To meet your soulmate at high school was like admitting that you needed someone to shape your future and Blaine knew that his parents wished more for him than that.

Just as whispered conversations were replayed, visions of Kurt came unbidden to his mind and he closed his eyes in pain. He tried to forget, always tried to forget that face and what had happened. Blaine felt like a different person now, though it was only two years ago. Nothing was as it used to be and so he could throw himself into his extra-curricular activities and almost imagine that he wasn't the same Blaine. He was changed, a perfect wax model perhaps of the real person and no one could see underneath. It was so long ago that Blaine realized he wouldn't know how to act if he was brought back to that time.

He always regretted not saying goodbye, felt a pang at knowing Kurt had been hurt, but he was led to believe it was for the best. His phone was taken away and they moved house immediately. He hadn't even healed properly before he was enrolled here at his new school in Connecticut. He boarded, lived away from home and rarely saw his parents and it was surprisingly easy to start again. He could be a new Blaine here, no one knew he had been bullied or beaten so badly. He was no longer defenseless and weak; he could take on anyone and prove that they were wrong. His father had deleted his Facebook once they moved, but after a while the feeling of wanting to rebel took over. He saw the sense in what his father did, he knew it came from a place of caring, but it was so wrong that he created a new Facebook account, calling himself Blaine Anders and telling friends at Beaumont. No one from his old life was added, but he could see their pictures and unprotected comments, including those that involved Kurt.

Kurt had moved on it seemed, in some sort of way. He had posted pictures and videos of performances with his glee club and although he looked a little sadder than Blaine remembered, he was at least in a place he belonged. Blaine had always known Kurt was destined to shine, so he was glad that people had started to see it too. If he noticed that Kurt was currently single, Blaine didn't acknowledge it.

He had toyed with the idea of contacting Kurt again, but whenever his finger hovered over the friend request icon, or to send a personal message, he quickly changed his mind. What could he say after two years? Sorry for leaving when it had been at his father's insistence? Sorry he had been weak and pathetic and not tried hard enough to maintain contact? No, Blaine couldn't write that and so he was left feeling lonely and slightly bored with the way his life was bound to turn out.

He continued to stare at the ceiling as the realization hit him: he _was_ lonely. He had friends, lots of friends actually in the many clubs he belonged to, but no one knew him, not really. They accepted him as gay and he had helped the school come to terms with homosexuality through being 'out and proud'. He belonged to so many clubs that he seemed to fit in anywhere and with any clique. The sports players admired his skill on the lacrosse field, his glee club praised his singing ability and he was a natural leader. People noticed Blaine, but no one took the time to dig a little deeper and find out what he was all about.

The room got darker as he refused to close the curtains and the ceiling shadows changed as night drew closer. As the clock ticked over to midnight, he realized his hand was changing, his palm itchy. He sat up abruptly and turned on his bedside lamp. It had started.

It was strange to watch. His skin felt tight and started to tingle, but he was mesmerized as letters scratched on his palm, twirling patterns started to appear, etched painfully, causing Blaine to hiss in pain. There was a sting and a stretch and the capital letter H started to appear. Other letters scratched the skin faintly and eventually he could make out the whole name, though it got progressively darker as he watched.

_Kurt Hummel_

Blaine stopped breathing, just for a second. Kurt was his soulmate. All those conversations where they had tried to guess who might own their best friend's heart and where they might meet, all those whispered conversations where secrets were revealed and promises made together of Broadway and New York. After all that time, that perfect childhood friendship and he had known his soulmate all along. They had met so young, not even Kurt with all his romantic notions would have guessed that they were soulmates. Blaine felt his eyes fill with tears and he shook his head at his daft behavior. He couldn't cry now. Instead he flopped down on his bed and resumed staring at the ceiling. He turned off the light and let the darkness take over.

Kurt was his soulmate.

If Blaine was honest with himself, as he now realized he should be in the darkness at least, he had known this all along. Their friendship had always been easy, a great to-ing and fro-ing between them where they would laugh and sing together, exchange secrets and hopes for the future. There was an inherit easiness about them. Blaine could always relax around Kurt and be himself. Without his best friend, Blaine slowly realized, he was lost and had been for two years.

Blaine knew Kurt was in Lima, thanks to his spying on Facebook, but what could he do? He couldn't walk into Kurt's life now after all this time and apologize, though that was all he wanted to do. Kurt wasn't seventeen just yet; he wouldn't know they were soulmates. Blaine decided to wait.

* * *

Sebastian made his presence known in the new year. The Warblers had lost sectionals last year, but this new leader threatened to topple the hopes of New Directions. He wanted to be the best and would seek out the competition in order to intimidate and throw them off course. Kurt was schooling Rachel in the art of picking a perfect wedding dress at The Lima Bean when Sebastian approached.

He was perfectly attired in his Dalton blazer, his hair styled correctly and a take away coffee cup in his hand. He sat down without invitation and smiled sardonically.

"I know who you are, no reason to introduce yourself," he said simply and Kurt's eyebrow rose.

"Please enlighten _us_ then," he said, dripping with disdain. "We know you belong to the Dalton Academy Warblers."

"Good, my reputation precedes me then," he said, standing taller in his seat. "My name is Sebastian Smythe and I am the leader of the Warblers."

"What do you want?" Rachel said sharply, Jesse's betrayal still in the forefront of her memory.

"Rachel, I brought an engagement gift." He handed her a brown envelope and Kurt was confused. How did this guy know her name, and that she was engaged?

"I've done my research," Sebastian said as if he'd read Kurt's mind. Rachel opened the envelope and quickly hid the offending photo.

"Woah, woah, woah," she shouted, "that is photoshopped, his thing is not that small or brown." She pulled a face.

"And he could never fit into those pumps," Kurt said with utter derision. Sebastian smirked, slightly impressed.

"Just think, from now until eternity, every time someone googles Finn Hudson they'll be treated to that," he said pointing to the photo, "And dozens just like it. That's the beauty of the internet, it stays with us forever."

"What do you _want_ Sebastian?" Rachel asked, too disgusted to even look at him.

"I want a guaranteed regionals win, so I want you to drop out. McKinley gets home court advantage this year."

"But that is show choir terrorism," Rachel said, outraged.

"You have twenty-four hours to drop out Rachel, or I press the upload button," he said and lifted his coffee quickly in the air and was gone.

"We have to do research about this Sebastian," Kurt said quickly as soon as he was gone. "How come we didn't know about him from the blogs?"  
"I knew we were competing against him, but not like this," Rachel said, already on her phone to scan the websites for Intel. Kurt did the same.

"Ooh, another show choir has been burnt at his hands," Kurt said, finding the information first. "They warn about Sebastian and his blackmailing ways. Nothing was ever proven so he got away with it, but they plan to continue to besmirch his so called reputation."

"Good, we can't let him win, he can't beat us."

"Exactly," Kurt said, suddenly feeling ten feet tall and then slouching. "But what do we tell Finn?"

"We tell him nothing," Rachel said after a while, the cogs in her mind working overtime as she scanned the rest of the blog. "We need to find some dirt on this Sebastian and I know exactly where we can find it." She showed Kurt the blog and he smiled knowingly.

"Fantastic!"

* * *

"I'm not sure about this Rachel," Kurt said, getting out his fake ID. "Chas Donaldsworth? This doesn't even look like me."

"It'll be fine," Rachel said quickly, donning her black beret and sunglasses. "Mine says I'm thirty-eight. They'll work."

Kurt could feel the beat of the bass and hear the click of the pool table as they approached, but he felt strangely exhilarated at the thought of going in. He wasn't disguised, but Rachel would do all the hiding and photo snapping. Kurt was there merely to look pretty. The bouncer took one dubious look at their IDs and let them in.

"Enjoy. It's drag queen Wednesday," he said looking like he might want to end it all.

"How do we even know he'll be here tonight?" Kurt whispered in Rachel's ear.

"Shh, I have knowledge," she hissed. "I'm going undercover; don't worry if you can't find me." And she scarpered off, leaving Kurt to admire the drag queens and trying to name them all before ending up at the bar.

"Just a diet coke," he said to the barman, who nodded. Kurt took a seat at a stool and surveyed his surroundings.

There were a few people on the dance floor, but most were playing or watching pool and darts. His heartbeat settled as he realized this wasn't the scandalous place he had imagined. It didn't live up to its name.

"Well, well, well," a familiar drawl came from behind him. "I wondered how long it would take for you to come here. You just screamed 'gay' when I saw you at The Lima Bean."

"You give a bad name to the entire gay community," Kurt said, turning around sharply and giving Sebastian his best bitch stare.

Sebastian seemed to love the banter and took a seat.

"And you give the gay community cutting edge fashion that's usually only seen on Puerto Rican pride floats."

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you I was distracted by your giant horse teeth," Kurt returned and Sebastian laughed. He leant back slightly and nodded.

"You're witty, but I'm not backing down."

"We'll see about that," Kurt said, sipping his drink and Sebastian eventually wandered off to see if he could catch someone on the dance floor.

Kurt started to suspect they wouldn't find any incriminating evidence here, Sebastian playing it safe and only dancing with a few regulars. Kurt ordered another drink and surveyed the room once more.

He was facing the dance floor, still seated at the bar, when Karofsky approached quietly, causing Kurt to jump when he saw him.

"What are you doing here?"

Karofsky looked taken aback and he tried to place a placating hand on Kurt's arm, but Kurt pulled back suddenly.

"Hey, I'm not going to harm you," Karofsky said, his face worried. "I promise."

Kurt looked him over. Karofsky was dressed all in denim, completely different from his jock attire, with a cap on his head and a beer in his hand. He looked relaxed and comfortable in his own skin.

"So how's life at your new school?" Kurt asked, trying to be polite though his heartbeat still raced.

"Fine," Karofsky said, nodding and then realizing Kurt expected more than that. "I just wanted to have a normal senior year, play football without my team mates hearing rumors about me."

"I would never have told anyone," Kurt said adamantly. "It's not who I am."

Karofsky smiled, grateful for that after all this time. He had spent the last few weeks of his junior year avoiding Kurt after the prom fiasco, determined to lay low. He was one of a crowd when others threw slushies or tossed Kurt in the dumpster, but he had stopped approaching him alone. Kurt had started to believe it was because Karofsky was under the impression he could 'catch the gay'.

"I didn't think I'd see you here, Karofsky." Kurt said, "You come here all the time?"

"People like me here, I feel accepted," he said smiling, "and you can call me Dave."

Kurt felt a blush on his cheeks. It didn't feel wise to start calling your tormentor by their first name.

"I'm what they call a bear cub," Dave continued, but Kurt just looked confused.

"Because you look like Yogi?"

"I don't know," Dave laughed, "Because I'm burly or something?" His face fell as he took in Kurt's defensive pose.

"So this is the point where you judge me?" Kurt looked surprised.

"No, as long as you're not beating people up, I'm all for being who you have to be, at your own speed."

"Right now I'm just trying to get through high school." Dave looked thoughtful, twirling the beer bottle in his hand. After a while, the silence irked Kurt.

"Have you come out?"

Dave was surprised at the question, lost in his own thoughts.

"No, not really," he admitted. "I come here, but no one knows at school and I haven't told my parents yet."

Kurt nodded. "But you have a mark?"

Dave instantly clenched his fist. "Yeah."

"What's the name?"

Dave stared at Kurt for quite a while, deciding if he could trust him with this information, something he hadn't told _anyone_.

"Mark Foreman," he whispered, avoiding Kurt's burning gaze and gripping his beer bottle.

Kurt nodded. He had been right.

"Why did you kiss me, Dave?" Kurt asked quietly, needing to know.

Dave looked up quickly and leant forward in his desperation to be understood, words already falling out of his mouth.

"I saw the mark, knew I was gay and you were so out and proud and just there. I knew you weren't my soulmate, but I kept thinking about you, I saw your face everywhere. When you followed me into the locker room, you were in my face and your skin was so clear and smooth… I thought one little kiss wouldn't matter." He knew he had taken something very precious from Kurt and there were no words to give it back. His head lowered, he looked like he might start to cry.

"It gets lonely here doesn't it?" Kurt said after a while, his soft voice calming to Dave, who simply nodded. "We're just waiting for our soulmates, never knowing when they might appear. It's a lonely game."

Dave looked upon Kurt as if he was the wisest person he knew.

"You know your soulmate?" Dave asked.

Kurt's expression froze and he considered telling Dave the truth. It might be nice for someone else to know, share his worries and be friends at least. But he shook his head.

"No, I have the name, but I don't know who it is," Kurt lied.

Dave nodded, accepting it with complete trust.

"I always wondered if it might have been that Blaine kid you were always hanging around with," Dave continued. His eyes roved around the bar, missing Kurt's startled expression. No one had mentioned Blaine for so long. "Do you know what happened to him?"

"No, he vanished," Kurt admitted, "never keeping in touch. I have no idea where he is now."

Dave nodded, watching carefully as Kurt's jaw tensed, but he said nothing about his suspicions.

"I guess if people are supposed to come back into your life they'll find a way," Dave said, smiling slightly as Kurt looked at him fully.

"Do you really think so?" Kurt asked hopefully.

"That's the whole idea of soulmates right? If we don't have at least that simple hope what else is there to live for?"

Kurt nodded, letting his mind wander to hopes and dreams he hadn't let himself delve into for so long.

"There's always hope."

* * *

Rachel texted him furiously after a while, to set up a meeting in the bathroom. She grabbed and pulled him into the nearest cubicle as soon as he entered.

"Rachel…"

"We have to speed up the process, he's not doing anything scandalous," she whispered near Kurt's ear.

"What do you want me to do about it?" he asked, mild panic in his eyes.

"Seduce him," she said, beaming at her suggestion, her eyes twinkling. "Lead him on and leave him, kiss him and make him beg."

"Jeez Rachel…I don't know…"

"Kurt, you want to be out of here by curfew, right?" He nodded reluctantly. "Then this needs to happen." He accepted it mutely.

"Use the best talent you have at your disposal," she said, winking and as he went to leave, she patted him on the ass to prove a point, causing him to yelp. "Go get 'em tiger!"

Kurt grimaced, but something clicked as soon as he left the bathroom. If he was to get into NYADA later on in the year, he would have to show them his best performance—Time to act his ass off.

Sebastian was on the dance floor, edging closer to another guy who seemed to eagerly accept Sebastian's advances, but as Kurt approached, Sebastian noticed. His eyes wandered, trailing Kurt's body, making Kurt think he had quite a bit to drink already. A song finished and the beat morphed into Beyonce's 'Drunk in Love'. Sebastian's eyes lit up as he recognized the beginning.

Kurt smiled slowly, taking in Sebastian's more eager face as the song started.

_I've been drinking, I've been drinking_

_I get filthy when that liquor get into me_

Kurt rocked his hips, dancing with no one, but forgetting his self-conscious stilted moves in glee and deciding to be the gay bar superstar he had always wanted to be. He flung his arms a little higher and came closer to Sebastian, making sure he would have ample opportunity to take a look at his 'fatty'. Sebastian was only human; he watched what he could. After a while, Sebastian could look for only so long without touching. A hand snuck around Kurt's waist, winding over the fabric through his thumb and grazed the delicate skin just above his waistband. Kurt gasped.

"You sure know how to tease," Sebastian purred in his ear, making Kurt shiver at the close proximity to warm breath and lips. Kurt closed his eyes and sunk further back so he could feel Sebastian's firm chest behind him.

"Wanna play?" Sebastian murmured and Kurt found himself nodding. "Good," Sebastian continued, "just some fun." He quickly nibbled Kurt's ear lobe, teasingly, gently, giving Kurt the impression that he might have imagined the contact. Kurt felt his heart clench.

He let it all happen: the teasing, the touching and the tasting, but he wanted someone else. His body knew that this boy wasn't his soulmate; it couldn't be deceived. As his eyes remained closed, he let his mind wander and imagine it was Blaine behind him—firm and solid in his arms, teasing and taking. Kurt could feel what was missing. There was no feeling of comfort or security. His soul wouldn't find rest here.

Sebastian seemed to recognize the hesitation though he allowed the mutual appreciation of beauty to continue for a little while longer. His hand left Kurt's waist and turned him around in his arms.

"You know your soulmate?" Sebastian looked genuinely kind then and that was what confused Kurt the most. He merely nodded. Sebastian smiled sadly.

"I don't know mine yet," he said. "I know what you were doing here…"

Sebastian left it unsaid and Kurt wasn't sure if he meant the plan with Rachel or the seeking for affection.

"We're all just looking, whether we know our soulmate or not. We all need love and while we wait, there's no point in being lonely." They remained on the dance floor, the movement hazy in their peripheral vision.

"I'm always here for company."

And he walked away, leaving Kurt to wonder if he would ever feel that lonely.

* * *

There was a knock at the door, causing Blaine to jump slightly out of his post-homework haze. On his bed, staring at the ceiling, which had become a custom recently, Blaine had been dozing off. He started at the noise and sprung out of bed with newfound energy.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," Mark said through the door, "Let me in Blaine." He sounded irked and Blaine opened it quickly.

"What are you up to?" Mark asked, scanning the room to notice the opened study books and the messed bed.

"Closing my eyes, giving up on homework," Blaine said his body as he sank back on the mattress. He landed on his bed with the least amount of energy. Mark took the desk chair and twirled around in circles. Blaine was tired just looking at him.

"Don't you have homework?" Blaine asked, eager to be asleep.

Mark nodded. "Yes, but that can wait."

Blaine didn't ask the obvious question, it was clear Mark had come to say something, so he waited.

"So it's a nice room you have here," Mark said. "I didn't get to come in when I walked you back after the movies."

"I don't sleep with someone on the first date," Blaine winked, causing Mark to laugh.

"Much to my disappointment." Mark laughed again and Blaine knew he wasn't too hurt by the rejection. "We could try it again? Date I mean."

"Why? I'm not your soulmate," Blaine said.

"I know and I'm guessing I'm not yours?" Blaine looked at him in surprise. "I noticed you've been clutching your hand closer to your chest recently, hiding the mark. You know the guy?"

Blaine wondered how much to say. He'd known Mark for a while, a good friend in many ways, but completely on the surface. No one had ever gone that deep.

"I did," Blaine started, closing his eyes in pain as soon as the words left his mouth. "We got out of touch when I left Ohio."

"Two years ago?"

Blaine nodded. "I've known him since I was five."

Mark breathed the word 'wow'. "Where is he now?"

"Still in Lima, I saw his profile on Facebook."

"So you haven't contacted him?"

"How can I?" Blaine flopped back dramatically on the bed. "I left without a word two years ago. How can I try to say sorry after all that time? How do I explain it to my parents? Urgh it's such a mess…"

"Your parents?" Mark looked confused as the whole sorry story tumbled out of Blaine's mouth: their childhood, coming out, Sadie Hawkins, and the aftermath. Mark shook his head sadly at the conclusion.

"Bloody hell," Mark muttered. "That is rough."

Blaine covered his face with his hands and groaned. Mark took pity.

"But he's your soulmate, which must mean you're his. When will he find out?"

"He knows," Blaine said sadly.

"Then you need to find him, explain. Try to build a relationship. If you're soulmates then you're meant to be; you'll make it work."

Blaine looked like he seriously doubted that.

"I'm serious, Blaine," he said. "You can't leave it to chance. You never know how long it might take for fate to bring you two together again."

Blaine's eyes glazed over a little and Mark thought he might have lost him. Then Blaine smiled.

"I think I might know where I can find him," Blaine said. "There's just one place we promised to meet again, hoping our soulmates would be there too."

Blaine smiled at his younger self, his idealistic conversations and his dreams.

"New York."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Thanks to my lovely beta H T Elia as always :)

* * *

As he walked up and out of the subway, Kurt saw the light but was shocked awake by a sharp shoulder to his upper arm.

"You'll have to be a little bit more city savvy Kurt," Sebastian said, laughing as he took in Kurt's open-mouthed pained expression. Kurt straightened his back, giving Sebastian his most scathing look before facing forward.

"I am working on it," he snapped as he strutted out into the light. He looked up and around just once, before his expression changed completely.

"We're home," Kurt breathed in awe and Sebastian smiled fondly, linking arms as Kurt came to a stop in the midst of the bustling crowd.

'We are," Sebastian said. "What shall we do first? Go to a club? Get laid?" He was only slightly joking. Kurt rolled his eyes and started to walk forward.

"Not just yet," Kurt said. "I need a shower and unpacking is a serious business."

"Great, you can organise my closet too," Sebastian said happily and Kurt was going to say something before they entered their new apartment, but decided it was pointless.

Kurt would secretly love to organise his wardrobe and Sebastian knew it.

* * *

Blaine had been in New York already for a very long summer. He knew his local neighbourhood better than he knew his hometown and he soon had a favourite coffee shop, knew the best take-outs and the only place in town to get his desired cronuts. Mark was supposed to move in when term started, but Blaine was secretly glad he had the time to get to know his neighbourhood before his friend. He could explore on his own and he now considered himself more of a New Yorker than all the students that came along later. New York allowed him to be independent like he had at high school, friends rarely getting any deeper than the surface.

His parents, wanting him to succeed and be his best, insisted on paying the rent on his apartment and his allowance covered his bills. He allowed them to think they were generous and amazing parents, giving their son exactly what he needed. He secretly knew that as soon as he was able, he would disappear, just like he was made to do with Kurt.

Kurt.

Everything kept coming back to that name, now etched on his palm in scratchy cursive letters. The name pained him, only thinking of what he had done in high school. How was he ever to find Kurt in this massive city?

* * *

"So we have orientation in the morning," Sebastian said, walking into the kitchen where Kurt was making dinner. "Are you ready?"

"Of course," Kurt said, without turning around. "Are you?"

Sebastian laughed. "I was born ready." Kurt finally spun on his heel and raised a perfect eyebrow. Sebastian laughed again. "I'm ready, boss."

Kurt smiled at the familiar name. "Good. Do you want me to plan an outfit for you later?"

"No your tastes are a little different than mine," Sebastian said, "I don't want to scream gay on my first day."

"Hey!" Kurt exclaimed, his mouth a comical 'o'. Sebastian held his hands up in mock surrender.

Sebastian let Kurt continue to cook in silence as he watched on from the kitchen table.

"I can feel your eyes from here," Kurt said, again not turning around. "Something you want to say?"

Sebastian smiled at his best friend. He often wondered how he ended up here, with someone like Kurt. Both knowing their soulmates were somewhere else; they took comfort in the knowledge that they always had each other. Strange friendship though it was.

"Do you think you might find Blaine here?"

Kurt stilled. The spoon he was holding now was hovering over the saucepan. He turned slowly.

"I don't know," he said calmly, though his heart raced at the mention of his soulmate. "We always said we'd find our soulmates here."

Sebastian's expression softened as he took in Kurt's pose, now diminutive, his head lowered. The truth was, it was all Kurt could think about as he came to New York. It pained him to think of Blaine, the one person that he was to spend the rest of his life with, so far away, but potentially so near. He still knew that Blaine had chosen to stay away and not contact him. Kurt had left his Facebook page particularly open, determined for someone, hopefully Blaine, to see his whereabouts and know he could always be reached. However, nothing had been done, no contact made, and Kurt was left feeling like he wasn't good enough —not a diamond to be searched for, after all.

"He must be here," Sebastian said. "He must feel the pull too. It's nature's way of bringing us closer together."

Kurt nodded like he knew it to be true, but still doubted.

"He's had months," Kurt said quietly, ashamed to admit that his soulmate didn't want him.

"He's got a lot to apologise for, maybe he doesn't know where to start? Maybe he needs the universe to do some of the work for him, push him in the right direction."

Kurt took a seat at the kitchen table, forgetting the food on the stove and sighing in defeat. There was no point hiding anything from Sebastian, he knew it all anyway and seemed to have guessed the rest.

"He shouldn't need that," Kurt said, trying to hide the hurt, but not succeeding. "I should be enough."

"Oh, you are enough, believe me." Sebastian smirked. "I sometimes think too much." Kurt rolled his eyes at his best friend. "But in all seriousness Kurt, sometimes people just need the universe to nudge them in the right direction. Perhaps he's been a little burnt too, his parents don't sound the easiest in the world. Maybe they've stopped him? If he's in New York, he might be free at last."

Kurt thought it over and it all seemed a bit of a stretch. He put his head in his hands.

"You could always do what I do," Sebastian said, shrugging his shoulders. "Sleep around while you wait, it's quite gratifying actually."

He was deeply serious, but there was a beat of silence before Kurt laughed. He could always trust Sebastian to lower the tone and he might just love him for it.

* * *

Blaine had located NYADA early on in the summer, so on the morning of his orientation, his first taste of classes, he arrived well prepared to excel. He stood assessing the competition, the freshmen and the older TAs, not speaking a word and making sure his talent spoke for itself later on. There were many people on their own, not sure where they fit in, but Blaine could already start to group them together. He wanted to stand out, but even now he doubted. He had worked on his self-assurance since leaving Lima and there was always a slight voice in his head, never sure, always doubting.

He thought of Kurt, always so confident and quick-witted, but Blaine had known him, knew what he thought and believed. Blaine had seen his doubts and fears, discussing them frequently when they were growing up. He wondered what Kurt thought of himself now, where he had ended up, whether he might be at NYADA too. He scanned the room, but Kurt was nowhere to be found.

He couldn't stand and wait for his soulmate to turn up, or simply walk into the room; surely it wouldn't be that easy. But Blaine had found himself searching the streets for Kurt as the summer wore on and he had started to give up hope. If he wasn't at NYADA, Blaine wasn't sure what Kurt had decided to do with his life after all.

Blaine walked out of the dance studio in a hurry, suddenly sick of the place and the people in it. He still had time; he'd grab a coffee at the stand on the opposite side and walk back in later.

He was moving quickly, realising, with coffee in hand, that if he didn't hurry he might miss his orientation. He didn't see, couldn't know that someone was rushing too. The guy didn't know how to get to the studio and was still working his away around New York. Blaine only had eyes for the revolving door, determined to get into the building quickly and didn't see the guy approaching. Before Blaine realised anything had happened, his coffee had been knocked out of his hand as he felt the strange tingling in his body first. He stopped in his tracks.

Time seemed to slow and Blaine stepped back, assessing the situation and his eyes alighted on the guy who had nudged him. He couldn't mistake those eyes anywhere.

Kurt.

Kurt seemed to realise just as Blaine did, his eyes almost comically wide and blue, so blue that Blaine was mesmerised. He felt strangely pulled towards him, coming closer, his body aching to touch Kurt. He could feel it too, Blaine knew, but his face showed his worry. Their bodies reacted, but their minds raced. They were here, together, and their bodies didn't care that they hadn't seen each other in years. This was it, this moment would define Blaine's whole future and he knew it.

Arms reached forward with desperation, skin tingling, fingers aching to touch. Minds could resist the actions of the body no longer. Their hands found their final destination and they hugged, chests colliding and fingers splayed on backs. Kurt could feel a heat spread throughout his body, starting at his chest, a sort of power coursing through him. Blaine felt like he could achieve anything.

And then the warmth disappeared.

"You're here," Kurt whispered, still in shock and although he had parted from Blaine, his body still ached to be back in his arms.

"You're going to NYADA?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, are you?"

Blaine nodded and then realised what they were missing.

"It must be starting, we're late," he said and without thinking, going completely on instinct, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and walked him quickly through the reception, past the boards and common areas, and to the dance studio.

* * *

They stood, listening to the tutors and experienced upperclassmen tell of their experience at NYADA, all the while still holding hands. It was strange. Although Blaine didn't seem to notice, who was seemingly engrossed in the talk, Kurt could feel nothing except for the warm hand in his. He felt numb, like he might wake up at any moment and realise this was all wrong. They were suddenly being given their timetables and Blaine finally seemed to notice he was still holding Kurt's hand. He dropped it immediately.

Kurt felt the wrench from his hand, his blue eyes still wide as if trying to capture anything that would make sense in the world around him. Blaine looked briefly at Kurt but couldn't bear it. He turned to the speaker, once again.

They were briefly shown the various studios and teaching rooms and then finally invited to have a coffee in the shop on the bottom floor. It was an unsaid agreement that they would sit together, so, silently, they bought coffees and sat opposite each other at a circular table.

"You still drink Mocha?" Blaine asked after a while, when the silence got to be too much.

Kurt nodded.

"I haven't changed much since the last time you saw me," Kurt said.

Blaine could see the hurt and pain on Kurt's face. He winced and closed his eyes in pain. It was like the dam had burst.

"I'm so sorry Kurt, I really am," he babbled. "I wasn't allowed to contact you. My dad said it was for the best and then we were travelling and leaving home and…"

Kurt took it all in: the babble, the determination to be understood, his wide whiskey-coloured eyes. Kurt nodded and though he was already tempted to reach out for Blaine's hand, he resisted. Kurt's sad expression had stopped the chatter.

"Were you mad?" Blaine asked.

"No," Kurt said sadly. "I just didn't get it. I called you, texted you, went to your house, but your father told me to leave you alone. When I returned a few days later, you'd left. Just put up a 'for sale' sign and left town."

"I wanted to say goodbye, begged my dad to stop outside your house as we drove past, but he only said we had to get going. I didn't get it."

The hurt and pain still hung in the air like a bad smell.

"So we're here now," Kurt said finally.

Blaine could feel the itch along his palm, reminding him of their connection. He unclenched his fist and opened his hand, palm up on the table in a gesture of sincerity. He'd never exposed his mark like this before; no one had seen it so close. Kurt looked at it in awe.

"So, you are my soulmate…" he breathed.

Blaine searched Kurt's face as those blue eyes continued to rest on his palm. His courage building, Kurt rested his own hand on the table, and with his eyes fixed on Blaine's palm, he revealed his own mark. Blaine's eyes widened and he instantly felt a surge of heat in his chest.

"You have it too," he whispered.

They finally locked eyes and smiled.

"Did you ever think…?" Kurt asked and Blaine finished the question with a shake to his head.

"No, but then as soon as I saw it scratching on my palm it made sense. We were best friends, Kurt, always together. You always completed me, it makes perfect sense now."

Kurt knew it was true, knew he felt the same, but so much had gone on, so many things had changed. He wasn't the same Kurt that Blaine left over three years ago and as he took in Blaine's confident but guarded stance, he guessed Blaine was very different too.

"So much has happened…" Kurt whispered, shaking his head.

"I know," Blaine said, quickly grabbing Kurt's upturned hand in case he went away. "I know, but we're soulmates Kurt and we found each other; that has to mean something."

Kurt's eyes roved over Blaine's sincere expression. He was so desperate to make it work; Kurt wondered how everything could be erased. How could they possibly start again?

"So what now?" Kurt asked.

"Now we take it slow," Blaine said, though he suddenly had a rush of feeling, urging him to take Kurt's face in his hands. "We go back to the beginning."

Kurt thought it through. He wasn't sure if they would ever get their friendship back, let alone start a relationship that might prove to be the most intimate they would ever experience.

But it was worth a try.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hi guys, thanks for the continued reviews in support of this. I hope you're still enjoying it. I have yet to write the next chapter so it may be delayed, rather than up next weekend. My job finishes soon for the summer so I should have more time to complete the story then.

Thanks again to my awesome beta H T Elia and Nightingale63 for the idea about the facebook photos!

* * *

"This is my apartment," Kurt entered slowly, worried how Blaine would view his new space and even more concerned about how he would view Sebastian later. Blaine's eyes were wide as he came in, taking in all the wonders that Kurt had managed to create in his apartment when he'd only lived there for two weeks.

"This place is fantastic," Blaine breathed, his eyes finally settling on Kurt, who beamed with the warm praise. "It's very 'you'."

Kurt's smile faltered slightly at the comment; he was well aware that Blaine didn't know what he was like now and had no clue what he had to endure during high school. Blaine carried on with his tour regardless, walking through the open spaces. The sofa was chic, but clearly second-hand; the upholstery sturdy, but hardened along the edges. The colours of the walls were mainly beige with one amazing purple wall that reminded Blaine of aubergine and good wine. Along the side of one wall was an enormous bookcase, which Blaine peered at closely, taking in the well-thumbed books and the ornaments that must be treasured. Then he stopped.

Along a middle shelf there was an elegant black photo frame and a pink boutonniere leaning on its side. The flower had been dried and flattened but the living, vibrant flower had been captured in the photo: Blaine and Kurt at the Sadie Hawkins dance. They were dancing, a photo captured by friends, laughter written on their faces. Blaine remembered that night, the rush of feeling as he held his best friend's warm body in his arms. Blaine's life seemed to whizz past, as he stood there looking at the photo. He knew nothing had compared to that moment; he had never been happier.

After a while, Blaine seemed to sense he was being watched and he turned to find Kurt behind him. Kurt knew what Blaine was doing, the pain obvious on Blaine's face.

"It was a perfect night," Kurt whispered and Blaine didn't know what to say. He stayed there, perfectly still, realising his very stupid mistake.

"Whatever happened afterwards, I'll always have that photo. I keep forgetting how happy I was at that time. I look at that photo and _know_ that I was happy. I have that at least."

"Kurt…" Blaine struggled, his voice hoarse. He stepped forward. Kurt shook his head and took a step backwards.

"Don't," Kurt said, "I don't need anymore than that."

Blaine pursed his lips together and nodded. He wouldn't push, but the feeling that it wasn't enough, that Blaine needed to make up for all the hurt and pain, filled his chest.

* * *

Kurt started to make dinner in the silence that followed. It was awkward and Blaine could say nothing and knew he had to make up for the past. But here and now, in Kurt's apartment, he didn't know what to say or do. He tried to be useful, but he didn't know where anything was and it was a hassle for Kurt to answer when he could easily get the item he needed for himself. Blaine wandered the apartment, browsing Kurt's books and DVDs. When Kurt felt the silence start to stifle him, he placed his iPod in a dock and set to a favourite playlist.

It was like the universe really was trying to bite them with the first song.

_If I lay here_

_If I just lay here_

_Would you lie with me_

_And just forget the world?_

As soon as the well-known melody rang through the apartment, Kurt turned in the kitchen to find Blaine facing him with an unreadable expression. Blaine stood, trying to work out what Kurt thought: whether happy memories were whizzing through his mind, or if they were unwanted. Kurt leant back on the counter and smiled a little.

All that time ago, when everything got to be just a little too much, when the bullies just wouldn't leave Kurt alone, or the world seemed a little scary, they would leave it all behind. There had been a place that no one had known about, just a secluded spot under a little bridge over the pond, but it was special. Blaine was the only person who knew about it and occasionally when Kurt escaped, Blaine would always find him there.

Kurt's body stayed still as the song played on. Blaine's back was straight; his ears pricked to the words and his mind played images of water and long grass tickling the back of his neck.

_Forget what we're told  
Before we get too old  
Show me a garden  
That's bursting into life_

Kurt loved that place, even went there when Blaine had left, but it wasn't the same. As Kurt stood taller, Blaine sat down on the sofa, almost like a meercat on red alert.

"Did you ever go back?" Blaine asked.

"I tried, but it wasn't the same."

"It was a perfect place," Blaine whispered, his mind somewhere else. Kurt turned off the stove and walked towards him.

"What are you doing?" Blaine asked.

"I don't know," Kurt said, walking to the side of the sofa. "I've been feeling a little lost since you came back into my life. I want to try something."

The song continued, the beat getting steadily faster, trying to match the rhythm of Blaine's heart as he watched Kurt get down on the floor and lay on his back.

_If I lay here__  
__If I just lay here__  
__Would you lie with me__  
__And just forget the world?_

Blaine watched and understood. He got down to the floor and lay on his back next to Kurt, staring at the ceiling and saying nothing. The words carried on.

_All that I am  
All that I ever was  
Is here in your perfect eyes  
They're all I can see_

_I don't know where  
Confused about how as well  
Just know that these things  
Will never change for us at all_

Blaine closed his eyes, imagined that place where time used to stand still, and his palm itched. It was like an invisible pull towards all that promised to be good and pure in his life. Some things never changed so he searched for Kurt's hand next to his own and he gingerly touched the warm fingers. Kurt began to sing.

_If I lay here__  
__If I just lay here__  
__Would you lie with me__  
__And just forget the world?_

Blaine knew, in that moment, that he would do whatever it took to get that feeling back. He felt old and much less wise, but if Kurt's hand was in his and they could have at least this one happy place between them; they could start again. And suddenly the opening bars of Yazz's 'The Only Way Is Up' started on the iPod and the moment was gone.

Kurt started to laugh loudly at the classic 80s track, something he liked to dance along to in the kitchen when he was cooking. Tears of laughter started to trail down his cheek as Blaine watched in awe.

"I didn't know you liked 80s classics."

"Don't be silly, Blaine," Kurt said, sitting up to relieve the stitch in his side. "We used to dance along to Wham all the time when we were kids."

A wistful expression flickered across Blaine's face. "Oh yeah, those were the days."

Kurt laughed again at Blaine's expression, as the key turned in the lock.

"What are you doing on the floor? Did you dance to this god awful music and land on your ass?!"

The 80s classic played on as Sebastian's smug face appeared by the door. He instantly kicked off his loafers as Kurt got up quickly, joined by Blaine, who suddenly wanted to bolt. Sebastian walked further into the apartment, his eyes assessing the situation before him: the nervous energy, the blush, the twitching fingers.

"Who's this?" he said, pointing at Blaine.

"Blaine," both Kurt and Blaine said together.

"My name's Blaine." He stuck out his hand as he had been taught and took Sebastian's in a firm handshake.

Sebastian's eyes widened almost comically and he let Blaine's hand go quickly.

"Blaine?"

Blaine instantly worked out that this guy knew all about him and he felt his stomach drop. What did he think of him already? What had Kurt shared? Who was this guy who looked vaguely familiar?

Sebastian seemed to know he'd said too much. He backtracked.

"Sebastian," he said, trying again, "I'm Kurt's roommate."

"Oh, right," Blaine said quietly. Kurt walked away to the kitchen, leaving the two guys standing next to each other, assessing, watching and planning their next move.

"I'm making dinner, Seb, do you want some?"

Sebastian looked at Kurt as if he was mad.

"Yeah, sure," he stumbled on his words, walking slowly to the kitchen.

"Can I use your bathroom Kurt?" Blaine asked, his body already turning away—anything to have a break.

"Yeah sure, it's the second door on the left."

As soon as Blaine had moved away, Sebastian pounced.

"You found Blaine?" Sebastian practically screeched and Kurt guessed that only cats would be able to hear the sound. Kurt turned to face him, the colour draining from his face, the realisation that this had happened all so fast dawning in his mind. Kurt nodded.

"He's going to NYADA too, we met at our orientation," Kurt began. "Well, actually we literally collided, coffee in hand."

Sebastian shook his head in disbelief.

"Only you, Kurt Hummel, soppiest romantic of them all, could meet their soulmate that way."

"I'm kinda freaking out."

"I bet you are," Sebastian came closer into the kitchen, his voice lowered. "Though you didn't tell me he was such a killer… fuck Kurt, that ass…"

"Don't you fucking dare…" Kurt's eyes practically turned black and Sebastian had never seen his best friend that way. He backtracked quickly.

"Whoa, I was kidding Kurt; I wouldn't touch your soulmate."

Darkness still hung around Kurt, but he said nothing, choosing to believe Sebastian this time.

"What did I interrupt?" Sebastian asked quietly, intrigued by Kurt's behaviour. Kurt sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his temple.

"I don't know. We used to lie together on the grass in this great place. I was trying to take us back, I guess."

Sebastian's expression softened and Kurt spotted it.

"Urgh, I know, stupid right?"

"No, understandable," Sebastian said, rubbing his arm. "It's reasonable that you'd want to go back to that place where you felt really 'together'."

"So many years have passed though, we can never get it back."

Blaine watched on from the space just near the bathroom. It hurt to see Kurt wishing for times gone by with only Sebastian to support and help him. As he noticed Sebastian's hand rubbing gently on Kurt's arm and Kurt eventually accepting a hug, he realised where he had seen this guy before.

"What are you going to do?" Sebastian was asking.

"I don't know, there are so many questions…" Kurt replied, finally extricating himself from Sebastian's arms.

"Then ask them," Sebastian said, looking at Blaine as he walked back in, wondering whether the guy might be annoyed they were talking about him. Kurt bit his bottom lip.

"Hi Blaine," Kurt said too happily, a smile fixed on his face. He watched Blaine sit down at the kitchen table.

"You can ask them, Kurt," Blaine said, "these questions you have, you can ask them."

"No it's fine, we'll talk later," Kurt said, eyeing Sebastian to drop a hint. Sebastian had no intention of leaving them alone. He sat down next to Blaine.

"So you're studying at NYADA too?"

Blaine eyed the guy sitting next to him, glancing at Kurt to see him roll his eyes and carry on with the dinner. Blaine didn't trust Sebastian, hated that he was here and spoiling their time together, but he played nice.

"Yeah musical theatre. What do you do?"

"I'm at NYU studying business. Where have you been living for all these years then if not in Lima?"

Blaine instantly looked at Kurt, who had turned to face Sebastian.

"What are you doing Seb?" Kurt asked in a stage whisper.

"I'm asking the questions you won't," Sebastian said. "You know you want to know."

"Maybe you should go," Kurt said. Sebastian stood up, seeming to accept the inevitable. He walked up to Kurt though, wrapping a protective arm around his waist as he spoke directly into his ear.

"Don't shy away from asking the awkward questions, Kurt. You deserve to know."

Kurt pursed his lips and nodded, but he missed the way Blaine's cheeks seemed to burn at the touch displayed. Kurt walked Sebastian to the door.

"Don't forget," Sebastian said and left with a final touch to the elbow.

"That guy touches you way too much," Blaine said as soon as the door was closed. "I don't like it."

Kurt walked from the door and finally noticed the straightened back, the dark angry eyes and the clenched fist. This wasn't the Blaine he remembered. He was suddenly a little scared.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I remember the photos on Facebook Kurt, he was all over you then too."

"What?" Kurt breathed, his mind catching up. "You saw my Facebook photos?"

Blaine realised his error, but just nodded. Kurt looked like he was about to say more, start a heated argument, but he suddenly sighed as the fight left him. He turned off the stove and sat down on the sofa.

"What are we doing Blaine? Do we really think we can just walk back into each other's lives and everything will be okay? Because it really won't be. You left me and never came back," he said, shaking his head. "You even looked me up on Facebook when I thought you didn't. You had so many opportunities to find me even when you saw the mark. I don't understand."

"I couldn't just try to find you. What would I have said?"

"Sorry!" Kurt shouted, "Sorry would have been the first thing and some kind of explanation."

Blaine got defensive. "You don't think I wanted to? Of course I did, but I knew it would be hard. Soulmates aren't supposed to leave each other, it just never happens. But it wasn't my choice, I never wanted to leave!"

Blaine's voice was getting louder too, his body coming closer, though Kurt remained seated.

"It was afterwards," Kurt began. "You should have done something afterwards, not just waited for fate."

"I hate that you didn't wait," Blaine said, "I hate that you let that guy touch you. It makes me burn!"

Kurt's eyes widened at the anger and jealousy burning in his eyes. His eyes, once so honey-coloured and dreamy, were now darkened.

"He doesn't touch me and I did wait!" Kurt shouted in panic, getting up to be understood.

"You haven't slept with him?"

"No! Of course not! It's Sebastian," Kurt said, pulling a face. "He's just my best friend."

At the two simple words, Blaine's face lost its heat and all his energy seemed to leave him.

"Best friend," Blaine said weakly and Kurt realised the implication and sighed. It just seemed so insurmountable, the mountain they would have to climb, the misunderstandings they would have to deal with.

"I was only waiting for you to return," Kurt said finally, the sizzle dying out. "I was always waiting."

Blaine's eyes filled with tears. He had been so angry, but Kurt had only done what Blaine had done with Mark, knowing it would lead nowhere, just waiting for the one.

"I wanted to contact you, I really thought I would, when I knew it was your birthday, but I couldn't," Blaine whispered. "I was too worried you'd hate me, that you might think it was all a mistake."

"I could never hate you," Kurt said, coming closer to take Blaine's hand and lead him to the sofa. Blaine's hand tingled at the touch. Home.

They sat together for a while; the only sound was their breathing, eventually in sync. They edged closer, hands touched where they rested in between and Blaine took a deep breath and a leap of courage. He took Kurt's hand.

"You can ask your questions if you like," Blaine said after a while. "Sebastian's right, I owe you some answers."

"No, not tonight," Kurt said, his hand still resting in Blaine's. "We have all the time in the world to find out the past. Let's just stay here and forget about it all."

Blaine looked at Kurt as if his shiny blue eyes held all the wisdom in the world. He rested his head on Kurt's shoulder.

"Thank you."

* * *

**Song quoted**:

'Chasing Cars' by Snow Patrol


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: Sorry for the delay. Work and personal life collided this week to make it a miserable time. This is unbeta'ed as my beta wasn't free this week and I thought I'd kept you waiting long enough. The next chapter is nearly finished and hopefully will be beta'ed next week.

Thanks for all the reviews and alerts - over a 100 now!

* * *

"Come on, Kurt, you need a night out," Sebastian said, his face cocky and determined. He looked Kurt up and down, implying that Kurt's outfit of a baggy but warm poncho over skinny jeans wasn't really cutting it.

"I don't fancy it," Kurt said, "You know it's not my kind of thing. I only hinder your real purpose anyway."

"No you don't. I never need a wingman but it's always good to have you out with me. Anyone not interested in your perfect porcelain features is always up for a good time with me."

"As much as I'd love to be the guy that sorts out all your rejects," Kurt said dripping with sarcasm, "I said I'd stay in and watch a movie with Blaine."

"Right," Sebastian said slowly, "How's that going by the way? You still see him at college?"

"Mmm, hmm," Kurt said, tidying the apartment, a habit that Sebastian always knew meant he was nervous. "We chat about classes and what we think of the tutors but nothing that means much. I don't know, it's difficult to talk I guess." Kurt shrugged, trying to give the impression that he wasn't too worried.

"Well tonight might be an eye opener then. What are you watching?"

"I don't know," Kurt said, his eyes wide in panic. "I should have thought of that before, maybe he likes different films now."

"The Little Mermaid or The Lion King might be out of the running now," Sebastian smirked.

"Shut up, we've grown up since then," Kurt strutted away to his room, straightening a cushion as he passed the sofa, his arms laden with clean laundry.

"Have you really?'

"What do you mean?" Kurt said upon his empty-handed return.

"I mean you've idolised your relationship, just remembered the rosy bits. You don't know what Blaine's been through since he left and he certainly knows nothing about what you went through. Surely it's time to speak candidly."

"What about?" Kurt sneered, "How I was bullied every day during high school, how my peers voted me prom queen and someone hate-kissed me? Yeah, great stories."

"Someone hate-kissed you?"

Kurt spun around so quickly he gave himself a crick in the neck.

"Blaine?"

Blaine looked suddenly awkward, knowing he had committed an act of impoliteness. He gestured at the door.

"Sorry, the door was wide open, I just walked up the corridor and was going to peer my head in and…"

"I think that is my cue to leave," Sebastian said, swiftly coming beside Kurt to peck a kiss on his cheek. "Au revoir mes petits amours." He left with a sneaky smile, closing the door quickly.

Blaine came fully into the room to avoid being any closer to Sebastian, remembering he had a bottle of wine in his hand.

"Oh I brought this," he said, giving it to Kurt who said a quick thank you and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Have you had dinner? I was just going to make a quick salad," Kurt said loudly from the room beyond, Blaine remaining near the door.

"A salad sounds nice," Blaine said quietly, taking in the apartment once again. It always seemed too spacious and well designed for student accommodation. _Sebastian must be rich_, Blaine reasoned.

As Kurt came into the room holding two glasses of wine, he noticed Blaine's awkward pose by the door, his back straight but his eyes darting and his cheeks rosy. Blaine seemed to have this knack of looking both confident and ill at ease at the same time, something Kurt realised was a new personality trait. Blaine had never needed to feel self-conscious before.

"Are you ok?"

"What? Oh yeah, sure," Blaine said, getting flustered and already trying to calm his nerves. Kurt made him feel confused but with a desperation to convince him he was calmly confident all at once. Blaine came further into the apartment.

"I brought some of my favourite movies, nothing too gory. I guessed you might still squirm at the horror."

Kurt smiled at the memory of their childhood viewing. Blaine had once snuck into Cooper's room to 'borrow' one of his more adult movies when they were kids. Kurt had cried and been sent home, much to his embarrassment now. With his cheeks flush, Kurt shook his head.

"I was such a wimp."

"It was cute," Blaine said simply. Blaine smiled wide, his eyes twinkling with the memory. This guy in front of him had once been the most important boy in his life. Kurt smiled back but then his eyes dropped to the floor and he walked back to the salad. The silence started again.

Blaine watched Kurt's back as he prepared the salad and he couldn't bear it anymore. He walked a little closer.

"Our life was full of amazing memories like that, wasn't it?" Blaine whispered but he knew Kurt had heard him, his hand stilled. Without turning, Kurt spoke.

"Yeah, it was the best time of my life," Kurt said, whispering as if to take it back at anytime.

"Kurt…"

He turned slowly at Blaine's whispered entreaty.

"I know we can't just pretend that the years haven't gone by, but I want you to know that I'll try my best, that I want to make this work, that I'll do whatever it takes…"

Kurt nodded, not letting Blaine's words become meaningless. He didn't want to belittle Blaine's promise with entreaties of his own.

"I know it won't be easy…"

Kurt nodded, showing he knew that Blaine hadn't finished.

"But I want this so much."

Blaine seemed to have run out of steam. His body deflated as he breathed out, just like a balloon.

Kurt smiled recognising the expression.

"I'll finish the salad and we can talk," he said. "Do you want to set the table?"

Blaine nodded like an eager puppy and walked quickly to the drawer he had seen Kurt use for cutlery. After the mats were laid and wine placed on the table, Kurt brought over the food. They sighed at the same time… and then laughed.

Blaine closed his eyes as he smiled.

"Will it always be this awkward?" he asked.

"No, when we're old and grey it'll be something to laugh about with the grandchildren," Kurt said laughing and doling out the salad generously. Blaine looked wistful.

"You think about that?"

Kurt shrugged. "Just recently. I mean we're soulmates, it's bound to work out eventually. It might just take a few years." He laughed again and Blaine briefly wondered if he might ever get used to that melodic noise that had never changed.

They munched on their salads for a while, conversation revolving around passing the salad dressing or garlic bread. Kurt looked at Blaine for a while, almost biting his lip as he ate his salad.

"Did you come to New York, guessing I would be here?" Kurt asked.

"Of course," Blaine said quickly, "I mean we always said we'd be here together. I felt like I'd be breaking a promise if I didn't."

"Because we're soulmates?"

"No," Blaine said his hand coming out onto the table, his eyes wide. "Because I wanted to see you." He sighed. "I don't know how to describe it but I felt like I _needed_ to see you and if I didn't, well my body wouldn't let me stay away."

Kurt didn't blink.

"It was like that for me, but I started to give up hope when I got here. I was mad at you, almost hated you," Kurt said, his jaw tensing with remembered hurt. "But it was almost like my body knew I was lying. I knew I would fly into your arms as soon as I saw you."

"Kurt…"

"No let me explain," Kurt said, holding up a hand to be heard. "I know you're sorry and I do forgive you, I think. But I need you to explain why you left." Kurt's face dropped to his unfinished food, then his chin rose, his eyes piercing. Blaine kept his gaze.

"When we were in the hospital, after the…" Blaine swallowed, as if the word was a lump in his throat. He carried on. "I woke up with my parents peering over me as if I was dead. They were so happy I was okay. As soon as they relayed the events, the first thing I asked was how you were. They were silent for the longest time, I felt sure you were dead."

Blaine looked into those patient blue eyes, still keeping his gaze and took a little strength to continue.

"When they said you'd left the hospital, that you were fine, better than I was in fact, I thought you must blame me."

"What? I could never blame you!"

"I thought maybe you thought that we'd been too brazen at the dance. You were always so worried about the bullies and although I hated what they did to you, it never really happened to me. I finally found out the hard way."

"That was the worst, I hated that they did that to you," Kurt said sadly.

"They shouldn't have done it to either of us, you put up with it for years," Blaine said, a little louder, more indignant. "But when you didn't come to see me, I asked again about you. I thought they might be lying, that you were worse than they told me."

"No I had a broken rib and a few bruises to the side of my face. I left hospital because your parents wouldn't let me see you."

Blaine's eyes widened in disbelief.

"They…"

Kurt nodded. "When I returned to the hospital the next day you were gone, you'd left."

"Yeah, dad got them to sign me off, told the doctor he would care for me at home."

"But you weren't okay?"

"No, it was agony to move," Blaine remembered. "I was wrapped in a thousand blankets and ushered out."

"When did you leave town?"

"A week later," Blaine said, "Really early in the morning. I begged him to let me see you but he said you'd be going to school soon and would be busy. He reminded me that you hadn't called or come round. I guessed I must have really pissed you off."

Kurt stood up so abruptly that he knocked his chair over.

"Blaine, I text all the time, tried to call, messaged you on facebook, nothing worked."

"You did?"

"Of course I did," Kurt said, his eyes filled with indignant tears. "I was really worried. Your dad said that you weren't taking visitors and I knew he blamed me. I gave you a little space and only hoped I'd get a chance to explain at school when you returned."

Kurt picked up the chair but didn't sit down, just clasped it to steady his hands.

"I hate that they lied to you, I hate that they made you believe I didn't care. I _hate_ them."

Blaine looked at his salad. He'd known his father could be callous, but he hadn't known this. He'd been lied to and worse of all, he'd believed him.

"I'm sorry Kurt," he said, looking up at him, his eyes round and brown. So teary in fact, Kurt was reminded of pools of liquid gold. "I should have fought harder, I should have told him I didn't believe him."

"Yes you should have," Kurt said, not letting him off the hook. "We were best friends, I thought you knew me best of all."

Blaine placed his head in his hands.

"I did, I knew something was up but I trusted him," he shook his head at his known foolishness.

"Let's watch the movie," Kurt said after a while, his eyes leaving Blaine's, giving him the impression that was to be his punishment. He cleared the plates without glancing at Blaine once, letting the silence explain everything.

* * *

Sebastian finally sat down at the bar, eyeing both sides in order to spot anyone that was alone too. He nodded to the barkeep who gave him his usual drink. After a few sips, he noticed a guy staring almost opposite him at the rounded bar. Sebastian smiled and nodded as the guy continued to stare. His hair was well styled, Sebastian noted, his taste impeccable as he drank his margarita. He finally lifted it as if to say 'cheers' and took a sip, still staring. Sebastian continued to drink, his eyes starting to focus on anyone else and eventually, as most of his drink was consumed, he stood to request a song from the DJ, who complied quickly.

It was a slow start but Sia's 'Chandelier' eventually caused the crowd to bop their hips.

_I'm the one "for a good time call"__  
__Phone's blowin' up, they're ringin' my doorbell__  
__I feel the love, feel the love_

Sebastian was tempted to pull the scary faces in the video as the surrounding people let him remain in the middle of the dance floor but he didn't think that would impress the silent brooding man at the bar. Instead he danced like he just didn't care, his taller frame clearly evident amongst the throng of people. The crowd bopped him along with their movements, so he threw his arms in the air, his carefree attitude suddenly appealing. The guy with the well-styled hair eventually joined him, snaking his arms around Sebastian's waist and bringing him closer.

"I was watching, just like you wished," the guy breathed in his ear, making Sebastian smile even wider. They rocked to the music, the strange guy's growing hard-on evident, as he pressed closer to Sebastian.

_I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier__  
__I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist__  
__Like it doesn't exist__  
__I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry__  
__I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier__  
_

As the music morphed into something else, the brooding guy stroked the top of Sebastian's thigh, bringing him closer. Eventually the guy became a little impatient.

"Wanna disappear for a while?" he whispered darkly and Sebastian nodded. He grabbed the guy's hand without looking back and led him to the bathroom. Sebastian pushed his way past the huddles of bodies pressed close together, deep in conversation or laughing with drinks in hand. As soon as the destination had been reached, Sebastian pushed the guy on the wall of the bathroom. The guy with dark coiffed hair and brooding eyes looked a little surprised but soon caught his breath and smiled.

"Thought I wouldn't take control?" Sebastian smirked. "Oh I know how to get what I want."

"I don't doubt it," the guy said, looking Sebastian up and down slowly and smiling. He sized him up, finally understanding that they were equals here.

"No one wants to meet a casual fuck here," the guy said, gesturing to the couples around them. "They all want to meet their soulmate, look for love."

Sebastian shrugged. "I get that, but I also believe that I'm beating the odds. Eventually I'll find the right guy, no waiting around for him to come to me."

The guy nodded then came closer, deciding something in his head.

"I like the way you smell," he said as he kissed along Seb's exposed neck. "I also like the way you think."

The kisses turned more fervent and eventually he made his way to Sebastian's waiting, almost parted lips. He took Sebastian unawares as he grabbed his hand and pushed his arm up so his hand was forced open against the wall behind him.

_Gabriel Clarke_

The guy glanced up, Sebastian catching his eyes and breaking the kiss.

"Not what you want to see?"

"Not me," the guy said, "But who said we couldn't have fun while we waited?"

"My thoughts exactly," Sebastian said, smiling like a cat that had the cream but hiding the sinking feeling in his stomach.

Another guy that would disappoint.

_Sun is up, I'm a mess  
Gotta get out now, gotta run from this  
Here comes the shame, here comes the shame_

* * *

Blaine and Kurt sat through the movie, some harmless rom-com, mainly in silence. More wine was drunk, popcorn shared, but occasional glances were awkward and avoided. As the credits rolled Kurt turned to face him sharply, something having been decided. Blaine thought he looked like a cat about to pounce.

"I forgive you," he said calmly, "We need to make this work so I forgive you."

"But you don't really?" Blaine asked quietly.

"I just need a little time," Kurt said after a while. "I guess I understand how you would trust your dad, even over me."

"I don't now," Blaine said, sitting up again, eager to come forward. "I trust you more than anyone, I trust you with my life."

Kurt's expression softened. He could see Blaine's face change, his eyes wide and for a brief moment he looked like his younger self.

"I have to earn your trust, just like you have to earn mine."

A curl had gotten loose over Blaine's forehead, as they had watched the movie. Before he really knew what he was doing, Kurt reached upwards to brush the curl away, much too slowly to be purely practical.

"I think I forget that you were young then, that we were _both_ so young. You've become a little harder since you left me, a little more distrustful, careful not to let anyone in." He continued to stroke Blaine's forehead, his finger coming to slide down his cheek. "I think I've been wishing that all these years apart would be erased and it would be like it was before. But there are lines here, not even caused by age, that I wouldn't know how to get rid of."

Blaine said nothing, just watched and felt as Kurt tried to stroke those lines away.

"I sometimes feel," Kurt breathed, not even noticing how he came closer, his mouth inches from Blaine's own. "I sometimes feel a pull that I can't explain. I know it doesn't make sense, I know if I think about it for too long it seems crazy, but it's there. It makes me want to come closer, get rid of all those lines and what they mean. It makes me want to hurt those people that hurt you and made you harder. It makes me want to…" Kurt's eyes flitted from Blaine's eyes to his lips, battling within himself, wondering which part of him was pulling the hardest.

Blaine kept still, absolutely still, barely breathing, until he blinked.

Kurt smiled.

"I guess we have plenty of time for that," Kurt said, his head moving backwards, his eyes rapidly blinking. Blaine nodded.

Kurt got up, deliberately putting distance between him and his soulmate.

"Hot chocolate?"

Blaine nodded again, his lips unable to form coherent words.

"I don't know how late Seb will be but you can stay over if you like? We could do something properly tomorrow as it's Saturday."

"Sounds great," Blaine said weakly.

He watched as Kurt warmed the milk, saying nothing but wishing he had pushed forward, anything to feel those soft lips against his own.

* * *

**Song quoted**:

'Chandelier' by Sia


	7. Chapter 7

Sebastian walked into the apartment during the early hours, quietly as soon as he realised there were two sleeping bodies on the couch. He crept over, peering at the peaceful bodies as they lay tangled together. Kurt's head was resting on Blaine's chest as Blaine looped his arm around Kurt protectively. Sebastian didn't make a habit of watching Kurt in his sleep, but even he had to admit that he looked at peace, like he belonged there. That was until Kurt opened one eye sleepily and saw Sebastian.

"Fuck!" he screamed, sitting bolt upright, causing Blaine to wince as an elbow hit him in the chest. "Sebastian you scared the crap out of me, what are you doing?"

"Sorry, sorry," Sebastian said, holding his hands up in surrender, "I just came in."

"And decided to creepily watch us as we sleep?" Kurt screeched.

"Just for a second," Sebastian said defensively, "I was going to bed."

Blaine and Kurt sat up fully, now apart, Kurt taking in Sebastian's dishevelled appearance.

"A good night?" Kurt asked, an eyebrow rose as he noticed Sebastian's ripped shirt.

Sebastian smirked and winked. "Of course."

"Not your soulmate?" Kurt asked as Sebastian's cocky expression faltered. He took a seat apart from the sofa and shook his head.

"They never are, that's half the fun," he said, trying for nonchalance, but Kurt knew better.

Blaine looked him over silently. He recognised the look of cocky confidence from his roommate Mark; determined to play the part of Lothario all the while desperately wanting to be loved and to find 'the one'. Sebastian fooled no one.

"I'm going to make a hot drink, anyone want one?" Kurt asked as he stood and wandered to the kitchen.

"Yeah, a hot chocolate would be nice," Blaine said politely, still eyeing Sebastian who agreed with Blaine.

"So you stayed over?" Sebastian asked Blaine as soon as Kurt was tucked away in the kitchen.

"Yeah, we didn't mean to sleep on the couch, but we're going to spend the day together," Blaine said smiling slightly at the thought.

"Nice, Kurt deserves a good day."

Blaine looked over at Kurt, who was humming as he warmed the milk. He had heard reference to many things that had hurt his best friend since he'd left. Blaine felt a heat rise in his chest in anger, for which he hadn't been there to help, or stop what had happened to him. Sebastian recognised the look and took pity.

"Ask him about David when you get the chance."

"David?" Blaine asked with dread. "A boyfriend?"

"No, David Karofsky." And as Blaine's eyes widened in recognition, Sebastian said no more. Blaine wondered what the bully had done and stared at Kurt, who looked so happy in his domestic situation.

"You're lucky," Sebastian said after a while as Blaine watched Kurt. "To have met your soulmate I mean. There are many people in the world just desperate to meet their one true love."

Blaine's eyes returned to Sebastian and all the feelings of jealousy seemed to dissipate as he breathed out.

"Like you?" Blaine asked quietly and Sebastian smiled, already warming to the guy that Kurt would have to call his own.

"Yeah, like me."

"You don't have to fool around you know," Blaine said. "I don't think you'll meet your soulmate that way."

"How do you know? I could meet him any number of ways. I'm not going to wait around for my soulmate to find me. I intend to meet as many guys as possible in order to rule out the chaff from the wheat."

Blaine nodded, there was no reasoning with Sebastian.

"I just know I couldn't bear the disappointment every time," Blaine said, looking down at his hands.

"Well that's because you knew your soulmate from the start," Sebastian said, getting louder. "You left him, decided to meet him when you were ready."

"What are you talking about?" Kurt said, walking closer, holding drinks. His eyes darted from one to the other, watching their tense poses and Sebastian's clenched jaw.

"Soulmates," Blaine said weakly. "Sebastian wants to beat the odds in order to find him."

"I just know that if I knew my soulmate like you did, I would do anything to find him. I would never have left. You may think I'm pathetic, but that's all anyone wants to do in this dark and lonely city. Just find their soulmate."

Sebastian grabbed his hot chocolate and stormed off.

"I'll drink this in my room."

"Bas…"

He didn't turn back.

"I shouldn't have left," Blaine whispered as soon as the silence got to be a bit too much. Kurt looked at him sharply.

"You've said you're sorry. I understand why it happened, just drop it."

Blaine looked at him in surprise and then smiled.

"What?" Kurt asked, perplexed at the change in expression.

"Just something I remembered," Blaine said. Kurt waited until Blaine finished. "Whenever someone criticised a fashion choice, or hurt someone you loved, you would attack verbally, give them all you have. I used to love that about you. Nothing ever seemed to get you down for long, I always wished I could be like that."

Kurt couldn't remember a time when someone had described him so well. He couldn't say anything for a while.

"And you don't have that fight anymore?" Kurt asked quietly.

"No it's been a while since I cared about anything or anyone that much."

"Sebastian's my best friend, I've known him for a long time now and I know that he hides his true colours. He wouldn't want to give it away too much but he really just wants to be loved."

"I get that now. While you were making drinks he mentioned David Karofsky."

Blaine left the words hanging in the air and Kurt imagined the words bouncing off the walls.

"He did?"

"Yeah, did something happen after I left?"

"Many things happened after you left."

Blaine couldn't argue with that, so he waited.

"Too many things to discuss now," Kurt continued.

"But he hurt you?"

"Yeah without meaning to, I guess," Kurt began. He sighed, the inevitable discussion happening now anyway.

"The bullying continued after you left and in many ways it became worse. I no longer had my morning coffee and smile to make things better. No one seemed to notice that the pushes and shoves were becoming more frequent. No one noticed the sly and quiet comments in my ears or the menacing threats. I suffered alone."

Blaine started to apologise and Kurt stopped him.

"No, Blaine I'm not telling you these things to make you feel guilty, I just need to be honest. I want to tell you how it really was."

Blaine closed his mouth and nodded in acceptance, allowing him to continue.

"Eventually, I called him out on the bullying. Something snapped inside and I followed him to the locker room. We shouted it out and then he kissed me."

"The hate-kiss you mentioned yesterday?"

Kurt nodded. "He felt threatened by me, I guess, but after that the threats became harder to live with. He would whisper in my ear, threaten to kill me if I told anyone."

"Please tell me you told someone," Blaine said, coming forward in his seat.

"Not really, but after a while he became a sadder figure around school. When it came to our junior prom, he was voted prom king and by the secret ballot it was announced by Figgins that I was prom queen."

"Queen?" Blaine asked, a sick feeling in his stomach.

Kurt nodded, closing his eyes. "I didn't accept my crown and I will always regret that. I ran away and let the bullies win."

"Kurt…"

"You know, I always wondered what would have happened if we'd gone to prom together, just like the Sadie Hawkins dance. I think after the attack I thought they'd won, but if we'd gone together maybe we could have shown that they didn't, that they couldn't stop what we had. We could have beaten them together."

"I would have loved to have done that," Blaine said, his eyes shining with pride.

"I saw David again at a bar later on. He knew his soulmate was a guy when he hate-kissed me and he explained a little of what was going on in his mind. I guess he had a lot to get used to."

"You're braver than I would have been, much more forgiving," Blaine said, clutching Kurt's hand.

"It doesn't matter now," Kurt said, "I haven't seen him since, I don't really know if he ever met his soulmate or not, but wherever he is I hope he's dealt with it all."

"How was your dad when you came out? I know you worried about it."

"He was great actually, always has been. I don't know why I worried," Kurt said smiling.

"Great," Blaine beamed. "I always knew he would be. You're lucky."

"You don't think your parents accepted it?"

"No all their actions show me otherwise," Blaine said bitterly. "It would have been a lot easier for them if I loved a girl."

"Do they know we're soulmates?"

"No and I don't want to tell them," Blaine said angrily. "They don't get to share my happiness, they tried to ruin it."

Blaine got up, shoving a cushion on the floor in the process. He stood by the window looking out at the world below.

There was something about that tense back, those squared shoulders that made Kurt realise that Blaine had been struggling with this issue for a while. He watched as Blaine stood, his arms folded over his chest, staring at the street and saying nothing. Blaine looked hard and fierce standing there, but Kurt suspected he held too much on his shoulders, refused to give in, wanting to stand tall. A warmth spread through Kurt's chest at the sight. He found himself walking towards Blaine, the tred of his feet soft on the carpet. He wove his arms around Blaine's waist, and although Blaine tensed at the touch, as soon as he realised what was happening, he relaxed. He sunk slightly backwards, cocooning himself in Kurt's arms.

"I'm so glad we found each other again," Kurt whispered near Blaine's ear, the warmth making Blaine shiver. "It doesn't matter what went on before. It made me fight, it made me stronger and when I found you, it was everything."

Blaine closed his eyes, felt his hardened heart soften in his soulmate's embrace. He sighed as Kurt brought him closer.

"Don't worry about your parents, don't let them anger or upset you. They don't understand what we have and how we'll claw it back, because a love like this is everything. If we don't have this, we have nothing."  
Blaine nodded slightly, feeling his breath hitch at the beautiful words coming out of Kurt's mouth. He felt like he might melt.

"Let's go to bed," Kurt whispered and Blaine turned quickly in surprise, his eyes wide and questioning when he looked at Kurt.

"I mean to sleep," Kurt said laughing, "I'm not quite there yet."

Blaine nodded, his eyes returning to their normal size, his mind realising his mistake.

"You mean a lot to me though, Blaine," Kurt said quietly, taking Blaine's hand, which felt further away. "I feel like we're inching closer."

There was the pull. Blaine's hand was clutched in Kurt's, held between them by their chests. Eyes locked, Blaine eventually let his drift closed as Kurt's flickered to Blaine's lips. It was safe here and Kurt placed his lips on Blaine's waiting lips.

It was like the world stopped spinning, just for a moment and all feeling centred on the boys by the window. They eased into the kiss, but Kurt knew that Blaine tasted like 'home' and he had never wanted anything more. It deepened, became soft and gentle as their tongues met. Kurt tasted like the hot chocolate he'd drank earlier, sweet and light, but Blaine realised it didn't feel odd. Their friendship may have changed and halted before, but now everything was as it should be and their bodies knew it.

They parted after a while, eyes still closed, time taken to relish the thought, to keep the memory of lips pressed imprinted forever.

"You're everything," Blaine whispered as Kurt's eyes opened. He took in Blaine's blissful expression as Blaine opened his eyes to see a wide smile.

"Let's go to bed," Kurt whispered, keeping Blaine's hand in his and leading him away from the window. In silence, Kurt undressed Blaine, who stood mesmerised at Kurt's boldness. He watched as Kurt undid his buttons and removed his belt. It suddenly felt like everything that had gone on before was being taken off and Blaine wasn't to be burdened by it anymore. He wasn't nervous as Kurt stripped him to his underwear; he was free.

"You're gorgeous," Kurt whispered. "I never really imagined when we were growing up that this would happen, but it feels right. I don't need to worry. We belong."

Blaine could only nod and keep his eyes open in order to catch every single moment. It came to be his turn to undress Kurt and he did it slowly, careful to catch every single inch of skin, stroke along Kurt's firm muscles and watch his soulmate shiver in the cool air. Kurt let his eyes close and his skin feel every single movement of Blaine's fingers.

Nothing was said as they walked to bed and got under the covers. Fingers roamed, eyes watched, lips touched but nothing was said.

Actions spoke far louder than any words.

* * *

The following day when Blaine and Kurt walked to favourite parks, visited old familiar coffee places and talked until throats were dry, Sebastian lay in front of the television. The couch was starting to form his shape, his blanket keeping him cocooned. His phone beeped.

_**To: Sebastian [4.15pm]**_

_**I never did get your name, just managed to found your number from a bartender ;)**_

_To: Anon [4.15pm]_

_Who is this?_

_**To: Sebastian [4.16pm]**_

_**The guy from last night. I had hoped my face was memorable, even other parts ;)**_

Sebastian felt a little sick at the idea that this guy knew his number, now a stark reminder that he had allowed another quick fuck to get the better of him. A ghost of a touch and images of a face in obvious pleasure came back to haunt him and he closed his eyes. He was never meant to be for more than one night.

_To: Anon [4.18pm]_

_I remember… Who are you? _

_**To: Sebastian [4.19pm]**_

_**That depends on whether I can see you again.**_

Sebastian's heart beat faster. It had been an enjoyable time, had lasted a little longer than most, but as he left the evening behind, he was well aware that he was mistaken. This guy couldn't satisfy any of his soul's real desires.

_To: Anon [4.21pm]_

_I don't think that's a good idea. Unless your name is Gabriel Clarke?_

_**To: Sebastian [4.22pm]**_

_**Nope. Sorry :(**_

_To: Anon [4.22pm]_

_Why do you need to know then? Surely it was a one-time thing. _

_**To: Sebastian [4.23pm]**_

_**Who said?**_

Sebastian felt the soft sofa underneath his skin, anything to remain in the real world. _Surely this guy just wanted to have his cake and eat it too_, he thought. Soulmates were for life, not casual flings.

But he looked around the apartment he shared with Kurt. It was empty and he'd never felt more alone. It would only get worse; Blaine and Kurt were bound to move in together soon and where would that leave Sebastian? Who knew when he would meet his soulmate and this guy seemed to be in the same predicament. What would be the harm?

_To: Anon [4.28pm]_

_Friends? Casual fuck buddies? What do you want from me?_

_**To: Sebastian [4.29pm]**_

_**All of the above? Maybe we should have coffee.**_

That sounded like a good idea to Sebastian, get to know the guy, really work out what he wanted.

_To: Anon [4.31pm]_

_Do I get to know the name of the guy I'm meeting for coffee?_

_**To: Sebastian [4.31pm]**_

_**I hope you won't use the information against me?**_

_To: Anon [4.32pm]_

_Of course not ;)_

_**To: Sebastian [4.33pm]**_

_**Mark Foreman. Yours?**_

_To: Mark [4.34pm]_

_Let's save something for our coffee date Mark Foreman…_

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks to my lovely beta **H T Elia** as always. Two chapters and an epilogue to go!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: Sorry about the delay. My awesome beta H T Elia was away for a week then I was, so hopefully updates will now continue to be weekly. Thanks for the continued interest and lovely reviews

* * *

That morning had felt different to Blaine. Being woken up by Kurt gently stroking his cheek just like he had when falling asleep was the most glorious feeling, and he had never been more relaxed. Something had shifted within Kurt and he no longer looked upon Blaine as someone that had hurt him. They had both been burned and it looked like Kurt was done and moving on.

"Mmm, I love waking up to you," Blaine whispered, his eyes opening to see the blue of Kurt's eyes staring back at him. Kurt said nothing, just continued to mark Blaine's skin as his own and smiled as Blaine made a sound that resembled a purr. Eventually, Kurt broke his reverie.

"Pancakes?"

"That sounds delicious," Blaine said happily, until Kurt started to get out of bed. He whined as Kurt left him behind under the covers.

"Come with me," Kurt said, turning around near the door. Blaine wasn't tethered anymore by the weight of guilt. At the suggestion he bounded out of bed like an excited puppy and took Kurt's hand. As Kurt made breakfast and they got ready for their day, Blaine never left his side.

Kurt didn't mind one little bit.

* * *

Sebastian could never be early; the thought of arriving and having to wait would be panic inducing. Instead he arrived nearly half an hour late for his coffee date, not that he was worried if Mark had decided he wasn't worth it. But as he walked in, Sebastian saw Mark nursing a coffee in the darkest corner of the café. Mark smiled as his eyes alighted on the confident swagger of Sebastian's.

"Keeping me waiting, another trick in the book," Mark said, smiling widely. He always unnerved Sebastian a little.

"You want another coffee?"

"Yeah sure, whatever you're having will be fine."

Sebastian walked to the counter, confident and tall, aware that Mark was probably watching his every move. He returned with two black coffees.

"Thanks…. are you going to tell me your name?" Mark asked, an eyebrow rose in mock seriousness.

"I don't know, I don't really trust you," Sebastian replied. "How do I know that you're not some psycho?"

Mark laughed. "Do you always mess about with guys that you don't trust?"

"Mainly," Sebastian said bluntly. "My normal encounters last a few hours at most."

"So I'm the exception?" Mark asked. "I feel special."

"Look, this isn't normal behaviour. Everyone knows the deal, you ruined it," Sebastian said, annoyed. His coffee was scolding, but he sipped it anyway.

"You want to fool around with several different guys until you find 'the one'?" Mark doing the air quotes, who was just as annoyed by the situation as Sebastian was.

"It makes waiting a little more bearable," Sebastian said defensively. "What's _your_ plan?"

Mark looked around the crowded coffee shop as an answer. Sebastian watched too, not too sure what he was looking at.

"Don't you see all these people? They wait for their soulmate like he or she is just going to pop into their lives. What happens if it takes years? What if they only meet 'the one' when they're old and grey? Don't you think the universe fucks it all up and leaves us hanging?"

Sebastian's eyes wandered. There were couples of different ages around, obviously soulmates, others were groups of friends. No one seemed to be on their own or with just one person that _wasn't_ their soulmate.

Sebastian had always thought it was unfair. The expectation was that you'd be satisfied to wait until 'the one' came along, making friends, becoming successful in your own right. But what if you wanted to feel an intimate touch of someone that was more than a friend? Sebastian looked at Mark intently.

"I never intended to sit and wait," Sebastian said, leaning back in his seat, sipping more coffee. "I'm always searching. There are _many_ flaws in the universe."

"But surely you'll meet your soulmate eventually, why not calm down and appreciate what you see?"

"What, you? I don't see the point," Sebastian said, looking around.

"Still playing hard to get?" Mark laughed. "Look, I'm not suggesting we settle down and get married while we wait."

"What _are_ you suggesting?"

"That we keep each other warm while we wait. Whatever rocks your boat. I believe in love, just not the soppy kind where you're bound by its rules and regulations. Why can't we date with no strings attached?"

"And if you meet your soulmate?"

"We end it. I fully understand that I won't wind up with you at the very end."

Sebastian saw a couple at the opposite corner, nauseatingly close. Their arms linked so their hands could touch, and their eyes were locked, but they were listening so intently to each other as they spoke that no one else existed. Sebastian had already given up hope that he'd ever find that, but what was the point of wallowing. If the universe was making him wait, he'd wait with someone else.

"Okay," he said simply and Mark smiled. "My name's Sebastian. Tell me more about yourself."

* * *

Blaine finally made it home after a glorious day spent with Kurt. He didn't know he looked quite so happy until he heard the biting comment of his roommate.

"God you could make candy floss spin with that dopey smile of yours," Mark said. "Where have you been?"

"With Kurt," Blaine said happily, nothing banishing his smile. "We walked around, drank coffee, saw a movie…"

"All with Kurt?" Mark asked, "Definitely your soulmate then?"

Blaine looked surprised as he took off his shoes. "Yeah, I didn't think you could dispute that?"

"Oh, not with the look on your face," Mark said, changing channels on the television. "Worked out your issues then?"

"Yeah," Blaine said, flopping happily on the sofa next to Mark, making his roommate move away in annoyance. Blaine was completely oblivious.

"Was it that easy?"

Blaine was shaken a little out of his blissful expression, looking at Mark carefully. "What do you mean?"

"Well it's been a week since you met again, right?" Blaine nodded. "I thought it would be harder, that's all."

Blaine sat up straighter. "We discussed it, I never meant to leave, he knows the deal with my parents. We've had to move past a lot of stuff, but we're soulmates." He shrugged. "We have to make it work."

"You _have_ to?" Mark asked, eyebrow raised.

"No, I mean there's no point thinking that we're going to struggle. We know we're soulmates so we work at it. We are meant to be so it's worth the baggage we come with."

Mark nodded. "But it doesn't change the fact that you both missed out on a lot. High school had to be tough after what you told me about the bullies at your old school."

"Yeah it was, he told me more today and last night. I missed out on a lot."

Blaine avoided looking at Mark. "But he was your best friend, right?"

"Yeah," Blaine said, looking again with a small smile. Kurt was always his best friend; nothing was going to change that. "We have history."

"Well that counts for a lot," Mark said. "I think friendship counts for most of the world's happiness." It occurred to Mark that he'd yet to confide in Blaine about his soulmate despite their apparent close friendship.

Blaine's smile got wider. "Getting wiser in your old age?" He smirked.

"I'm the same age as you!" Mark said indignantly, causing Blaine to laugh again. Mark watched Blaine for a while, the lightness obvious in his face.

"You know you look younger now," Mark said quietly as the laughter died down. "Less hard and burdened. Is that what it feels like when meet your soulmate?"

Blaine nodded, a little overwhelmed that he was now with Kurt. "It's the best feeling in the world, like someone gets you, someone knows the real you and still loves you. I can stop pretending. He's amazing."

"Okay, stop making me feel sick," Mark said, to cover the very real feeling of jealousy burning in his stomach. Blaine laughed.

"You'll know when it hits you and you won't be feeling sick, or mocking anyone for their lovey dovey stuff anymore. It just makes life better."

"Right," Mark said getting up. "When you've finished soliloquising about love, you want some coffee?"

"Yeah, sure," Blaine said, smiling again at the television without really seeing what was on.

Mark shook his head. He'd text Sebastian instead.

* * *

A few weeks later, Kurt found his apartment empty when he returned. A quick coffee with Rachel after he'd said goodbye to Blaine and he'd had all the girly talk about soulmates he could stand. He was hoping that Sebastian would make him laugh about the whole setup.

He started to make dinner, texting Sebastian to say he'd leave some in the oven if he wanted to heat it up later when he got in. Sebastian said he was walking around, but would be back later. The apartment felt empty, but not lonely as Kurt stirred the pasta. He'd loved spending time getting to know Blaine again, but there was a security he'd started to feel that he'd forgotten. He was happy in his own skin and liking his own company. He was singing along to an old familiar song on his iPod playlist when he was surprised by a knock at the door.

Knowing it couldn't be Sebastian, who always remembered his key, he opened it with hesitation.

"Karofsky?" he whispered, backing away from his old bully. David smiled sadly, but didn't come any closer.

"You still can't call me David?"

"What are you doing here?" Kurt looked visibly shaken, though he tried to appear more together.

"I work in New York now, on the staff for a sport's agent. It's the lowest rung on the ladder but it's a start." He shrugged, though Kurt seemed to want more of an answer.

"Can I come in?"

Kurt was startled, but nodded quickly. "Sure, yeah of course, of course."

He led him in.

"C-can I get you a drink?" Kurt asked quickly, "Something to eat? I was just starting dinner if you…"

"No, no it's fine," David said, seeing the panic on Kurt's face and wanting to get started. Kurt walked to the kitchen anyway, turning the pasta down low. Why was David here? Surely he had said all he had needed to at Scandals.

David watched Kurt's back in the kitchen as he took deep breaths.

"It's a nice place. Are you here on your own?" David said to break the ice.

"No, I live with Sebastian," Kurt said, spinning around to face him. "I don't know if you remember him from Scandals. He went to Dalton and was a total pain in the ass, but he seems to have stuck around." Kurt walked closer, finally taking a seat.

David laughed. "Yeah he did seem pretty determined to make an impression. Soulmate?"

Kurt laughed. "God no. Never."

"You don't know your soulmate?"

Kurt smiled coyly, remembering their last conversation and feeling a little more easy at the thought of Blaine. "I do. We met again a few weeks ago actually. It's Blaine, it always was."

"Blaine?" David asked incredulous. "I knew it!"

"Well he left, but looking back I guess it was pretty obvious."

"Yeah," David laughed. "You're lucky. And everything's okay now?"

"Well we've had issues but generally it's perfect. What are you doing here David?" Kurt asked again, quietly. "I just wasn't expecting you to come knocking on my door."

"I called your dad, I wanted to apologise."

"My dad? Why would you want to apologise? You did that before."

"No, I tried but it seemed pretty pathetic. I get it now, understand so much more. I never really did feel that everything was okay before."

"Why? What's happened?"

"Senior year was tough." David shrugged. "Let's just say I get what you went through and I'm sorry I made it ten times worse."

"It made me stronger," Kurt said smiling. "I don't think you can live through life wishing that your past hadn't happened. I wouldn't be 'me' without all of that."

"I tried to kill myself and I only had a week or so of the torment you endured throughout high school."

"You did?" Kurt said extremely quietly.

David nodded. "Seems pathetic, but I couldn't take it. If that was how my so called friends would react, my own mother thinking I had a disease, well…" He shrugged to cover the difficulty he was having discussing his past.

"They're not worth it. If they can't accept you for who and what you are, well, then screw 'em."

David laughed a little. "I know and in some ways I got passed it but I just wanted you to know that I get it now. I know I was stupid, so blinded by my own prejudice that even when I suspected I was gay too I couldn't budge."

"Do you know your soulmate?" Kurt asked, hearing the key in the lock.

"We haven't met yet, but I'm not worried about finding him. I can accept now that it's a guy and there's nothing wrong with that."

Sebastian came in and looked between the two sitting down.

"I didn't know you had company," Sebastian said, taking off his shoes.

"No it was a surprise," Kurt said laughing, standing to introduce David. "I don't know if you remember David? He frequented Scandals around the time we did. David Karofsky this is Sebastian Smythe."

"This is David?" Sebastian shouted, causing David to panic. "Why do you keep bumping into people from your past?"

"He's fine now," Kurt said defensively. "He's accepted that he's gay; we're okay." Kurt looked apologetically at David.

"He knows about me?" David asked quietly so only Kurt could hear.

"Yeah, sorry, he knows everything about me really." David nodded.

"He's fine?" Sebastian asked.

"Yeah, I've apologised in the hope that Kurt will forgive me. I live in New York now," David explained.

"We were just chatting about soulmates, actually," Kurt said, trying to draw Sebastian into the conversation. Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I've had enough with all this talk of soulmates. I escaped this apartment in case you might have brought Blaine back after your day of perfection."

He got a bottle of water from the fridge and opened it easily.

"Fine, stir dinner then," Kurt said rolling his eyes at David who laughed.

"So Mark Foreman is it?' Kurt said addressing David, "Never met him?"

"What did you say his name was?" Sebastian came into the living area, panic etched on his face, eyes wide.

Kurt was surprised. "Mark Foreman, right?" he asked David in case he'd remembered incorrectly.

Sebastian sat on the sofa quickly, hands wringing his hair.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck."

* * *

**A/N:** One more chapter then an epilogue left!


	9. Chapter 9

"What?" Kurt asked, taking in Sebastian's desperate panic. "What is it?"

David looked a little concerned.

"Nothing. Nothing," Sebastian said, quickly standing up and brushing over the whole issue. "I need to go out. Don't wait up."

And he left, leaving Kurt and David looking at each other in confusion.

"Do you know what that was all about?" David asked.

"Not a clue," Kurt answered. "He's always been a little bit of a mystery."

Kurt walked to the kitchen to drop the subject and continue dinner, but David followed.

"It was after I mentioned my soulmate though," David continued. "Do you think he knows Mark?"

"I don't think so," Kurt said nonchalantly. "He's never mentioned him and I don't know him. Unless he was someone he met outside of my acquaintance…" Kurt mused out loud, but quickly tried to backtrack when he saw David's expression. "I'm sure it's nothing, I mean Sebastian meets loads of people. Maybe he's got him muddled up with someone else?"

And David was left to paint a picture of his soulmate before he had even met him.

* * *

"You need to see me right away," Sebastian shouted down the phone. "I don't care what you're doing, just drop it and meet me at the coffee shop."

"But I'm just about to—"

"No, Mark, I mean it."

Sebastian was met by silence. Mark knew Sebastian wasn't one to exaggerate or blow things out of proportion. In fact, he'd never heard Sebastian like this.

"Okay, I'll be there in ten minutes."

It was a rush, but Mark made it and Sebastian already sat there, constantly drinking his cup of coffee, giving the impression that it was the cause of his jittery hand action and wide eyes.

"You look crazed," Mark said sitting down. "What's up?"

Sebastian looked torn. Now he was here, opposite Mark, he couldn't do it. The idea of meeting your soulmate wasn't supposed to be pre-meditated. It was a spontaneous expression of love when you met the love of your life. Mark wouldn't have the meeting he deserved if Sebastian told him now.

"What is it Seb?" Mark said, getting annoyed. "I was busy when you called me and now there's silence."

Sebastian took a deep breath.

"If I told you I know your soulmate and how to meet him, would you want to know?"

"What?" Mark looked at Sebastian as if he'd grown another head. "What are you talking about?"

"I know who he is; I know where to find him."

"I've never told you his name," Mark said, shaking his head, looking pissed off. "You couldn't know…"

"David Karofsky," Sebastian said calmly, interrupting Mark, who stopped short. "Is that correct?"

Mark looked like he'd seen a ghost. "How do you know?" he whispered.

"I met him tonight in my apartment. He was Kurt's tormentor at school. Turned out he was gay and wanted to apologise to Kurt for being a shit. I've known of the guy for years, but tonight he mentioned _your_ name."

"Where is he now?"

"Still at my apartment, I guess," Sebastian said, not at all worried about keeping any secrets from Mark now. "I don't know if he's staying in New York or living here."

Mark's eyes roved the tabletop quickly, trying to come up with a solution. He looked to Sebastian.

"What do I do?"

"What do you _do_?" Sebastian asked incredulously. "You meet him, you idiot. He's your soulmate for crying out loud." Mark looked even more panicked.

"But we've been fooling around," Mark said. "He's going to wonder how we know each other."

"We met at a bar, got to talking, I don't know. Make something up," Sebastian said, getting more frustrated.

Mark sighed. "This looks bad, Seb, this looks really bad."

"So you're going to let him walk away?"

"No, but I can't meet him like this. I need to sort myself out."

"Okay, what does that mean?"

"It means we stop this, you don't see me again," Mark said calmly, avoiding Sebastian's eyes, matter-of-fact. "You'll get me his whereabouts, find out from Kurt if he lives here, where he works. I'll construct a meeting."

Sebastian watched him work it all out and said nothing.

"I'm gonna go, but call me when you know more," Mark said, standing and leaving quickly with the merest kiss on Sebastian's cheek to signify the end of a relationship that had lasted three weeks.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Kurt asked as soon as Sebastian entered the apartment. "Dinner's still in the oven if you wanted to heat it up."

Sebastian shook his head and shrugged off his jacket.

"What's wrong? You look pretty rough."

Sebastian finally looked up, seeing the concern on Kurt's face. The longest silence was punctuated only by Sebastian sitting.

"Where's David?"

"He left after dinner, ages ago. What _is_ wrong?"

"I did something stupid," Sebastian said calmly. Kurt was about to make a wise-crack before he saw the look on Sebastian's face. He said nothing. "I know David's soulmate."

"Oh," Kurt said, elongating the sound. "I thought you might, but I tried to cover it up."

"You did?" Sebastian looked visibly relieved. "Thanks, but I don't think it was necessary. They'll meet eventually. Does David live in New York?"  
"Yeah, but I don't know where. He works for a sport's agent."

"You know David's number?" Kurt nodded.

"What's this about Bas? How do you know him?"

"In the worst way possible," Sebastian said, pulling a face of disgust at his own actions. He got up to get a beer from the fridge. "Thank god I've always looked older," he said, taking a sip of his beer.

"Is it over?" Kurt asked, trying to sound kind.

"Yeah," Sebastian said bitterly. "It's over."

"You always knew this would happen," Kurt said quietly.

"Yeah, I know, but it doesn't stop it hurting when it does," Sebastian said, taking another sip of his beer. After a few more gulps it seemed to give the courage Sebastian needed. He looked more sure and ready.

"Well I need to text Mark David's contact information so he can meet him when he's ready, then I'm done."

He got the dinner out of the oven and ate it, despite it being lukewarm at best.

"Don't keep doing this to yourself," Kurt said, taking his plate and warming it up in the microwave. "You're worth more than this."

Sebastian watched Kurt become all domestic in silence until he was eventually given his plate of food.

"What's it like? To meet your soulmate, I mean," Sebastian said, as Kurt joined him at the table.

"It's like you're finally complete," Kurt said and for once Sebastian didn't roll his eyes. "Not because you need them to complete you, or because you don't matter on your own. But your soulmate understands you like no other and when you meet, the search ends."

"I don't really believe in soulmates," Sebastian said sadly and Kurt took his hand and opened it up so the palm was clearly visible. "Gabriel Clarke is out there somewhere and completely perfect for you. If you can't believe that, then there really is no point in searching for love. It didn't feel right with Mark did it?"

Sebastian thought it over, the many nights they'd spent together, the conversations.

"No, I guess not. It was good at times, the sex was satisfying." Kurt rolled his eyes. "But I suppose afterwards I was always left wanting more. I guess it was like an imitation. Good enough but not perfect."

Kurt looked pleased with the analogy. "Exactly. Just don't bother with the cheap knock-offs. Wait for the real thing."

"It gets lonely waiting though," Sebastian said quietly and although he was much taller than Kurt, he had never looked smaller. Kurt felt his own eyes fill until he blinked them away. Sebastian did not need his pity.

"But in the meantime you have fabulous friends and a career to plan and build. Make sure that you're the best person you can be, no matter how long you have to wait."

"Thanks Kurt," Sebastian said standing up. "I think I'll head to bed."

"Okay, sleep well."

"You too."

* * *

"I'm telling you, Blaine. I've never seen him look so sad," Kurt was saying the following evening at Blaine's apartment. Blaine was cooking him dinner as he replayed the events of the day before.

"So Sebastian's been 'dating' David's soulmate?" Blaine asked, trying to catch up. "That's kind of mixed up."

"I know, but I don't know if I could have waited as long as him to meet my soulmate. It's not fair. The universe throws this idea out into the world that there's only one but what if you have to wait years to meet them? Are you destined to be lonely until you meet them? Maybe there isn't just one."

"Of course there is," Blaine said. "If you look back over your life has there ever been any other?"

Kurt smiled. "No, I guess not, but we met when we were little. It was easy for us, because we were lost little boys together. Even before we knew, there was always easiness about us; I could tell you anything."

"But do you have that with other friends?"

"Yeah sure, Sebastian's probably the only one that's come close, but I've never found him attractive. At all." Blaine laughed at Kurt's expression.

"I am very glad to hear that, but when did you realise you were attracted to me?"

Kurt blushed a little. Although they had made-out numerous times, the idea of talking so freely about it made Kurt feel embarrassed. Blaine smiled.

"I've seen you naked Kurt, there is really no need to feel ashamed. I'll tell you," Blaine said matter-of-factly. "It was our freshman year in high school before I left. You dropped your pencil one day and innocently picked it up, bending down. I'd never thought of you like that, but I checked you out and no matter how hard I tried, I kept thinking of you in those situations. Your eyes have always been beautiful and I remember whenever you spoke I'd try to work out all the many shades of blue that existed in those two orbs."

"You thought of me in that way?" Kurt asked innocently, but getting increasingly turned on.

"Are you crazy?" Blaine said, laughing. "I loved you as a friend then Kurt, loved talking to you, but I was a teenage boy. You were always beautiful, but then you became _hot_." Kurt laughed, a great melodious noise that made Blaine beam. "I went to the Sadie Hawkins dance and I remember just wanting to kiss you and take you in my arms for real, but I thought you might slap me around the face." Kurt pretended to be affronted. "You were _fierce_ back then!"

"I wouldn't have done that," Kurt said quietly, looking seriously at Blaine. "I thought you were way out of my league. You were so effortlessly gorgeous, I idolised you, Blaine. There was no way I was ever going to tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because you were my best friend, I didn't want to jeopardise that. You were everything to me in that god-forsaken place."

"I'm sorry I left," Blaine said quietly.

"Don't be, it made me fight for myself and not rely on anyone. I could find myself, but I needed to find you."

"I still missed all those years…"

"We have so many way ahead of us," Kurt said smiling, so much, his eyes filled with happy tears. Blaine came closer, hovering over Kurt so his lips could be pressed against any area of skin he could find. He kissed his forehead, his eyes as they closed and worked his way to his cheek and over to his prominent jaw. Kurt sighed in pleasure.

"Let me make it up to you," Blaine whispered near his ear as he kissed him there too. Kurt looked up, his eyes wide and blue.

"Do you mean..?"

"Sex? Only if you want to, I know we've been taking it slow, which is fine…"

"No I'm ready for a little more, let me show you…"

* * *

As Kurt dressed, Blaine lay in bed watching him, with a smile dancing on his lips.

'Do you have to leave the bed?"

"Yes, I need to rescue the dinner you so woefully started," Kurt said, laughing. "Join me?"

"In a moment, the view here is quiet stunning."

Kurt blushed, loving to hear the praise, dressing a little slower.

Blaine joined him a little later in the kitchen.

"So how do you think we should set up David with Mark? I don't really like leaving it up to Sebastian to sort out." Kurt shook his head over the congealed pasta.

"Mark?" Blaine asked absently.

"Yeah, David's soulmate."

"Mark who?" Blaine said, suddenly interested. "Next you'll be telling me his soulmate is Foreman." He laughed until he saw Kurt's face.

"You know him?" Kurt shouted, coming closer until Blaine was kissing distance again.

"Of course I know him," Blaine said, getting louder. "He's my roommate! Are you telling me Sebastian and Mark have been fooling around all this time and we didn't know?"

Blaine sat down at the kitchen table, utterly confused. After a while Kurt stopped seeing the funny side.

"How did we end up with such lonely roommates? What are we going to do?"

"Arrange a meet up with David and Mark where they don't know. I'll suggest a coffee shop to Mark, tell you when he's going to college and hope that you can message David in time for them to meet."

"No too risky, we'll never manage it," Kurt said shaking his head.

"Trust me, just rave about the coffee shop to David and the rest will happen."

* * *

They chose a coffee shop that was near enough to David's workplace and not inconvenient for Mark who attended NYU. Kurt raved about it, met David there once or twice and Blaine did the same with Mark. Although it did take a few weeks, eventually Blaine got his way. They collided.

David was waiting patiently in line though Mark was slightly behind him and desperate for coffee.

"Fuck, is that the time?" Mark said to himself as he looked at his watch.

"You want to go ahead of me?" David said, turning around as he came to the counter to be served. "I'm in no hurry."

"Thank you," Mark said, relief obvious on his face as he came forward. "I was sure I was going to be late for class."

Mark casually brushed past him, not meaning to bump, but thinking of being late and getting his coffee. His body realised the collision before his mind could register what was happening.

Mark's eyes grew wider as he took in David's surprised face.

"David?"

David smiled, his smile growing as he realised this guy was his soulmate. He came closer as everyone knew the significance. They watched, awestruck as the two men hugged and felt the tingle along their spines.

"It does feel pretty awesome," Mark said incredulously. "I thought they exaggerated it all." He whispered, but David seemed to understand. He turned again to the barista and ordered two coffees, nice and simple without worrying if he had the correct order. They moved to one side after a generous round of applause and sat in a vacant booth.

"You're David Karofsky?" Mark asked again. "I didn't think you'd be so burly." Mark looked impressed. His own very slim figure was always something he wanted to improve on.

"Not quite like Sebastian I guess," David said shrugging. Mark looked alarmed.

"You know about Sebastian?"

"I'm friends with his roommate, Kurt, and I guessed in his eagerness to arrange a meeting that Sebastian told him. Sebastian freaked out when I told him the name of my soulmate."

"Yeah, he came to tell me you were in New York. Does that ruin the magic?"

"The magic?" David smiled. "I don't believe that's dependent on Sebastian. But you were together?"

Mark nodded.

David considered this for a moment.

"I suppose we all have our baggage. I'm no saint."

"Good, that would be so dull," Mark said smiling.

"So do you want to tell Kurt and Blaine? I guess they have a lot running on this, probably taking bets."

"Let them sweat it out for a while, keep it between us; our little secret."

"Good idea, don't want them to have all the fun."

Mark's wink told David all he needed to know and he smiled.

* * *

**A/N:** Epilogue hopefully up next weekend. Thanks for reading :)


	10. Epilogue

**A/N:** So here's the last chapter/epilogue! Sorry for the slight delay. Thank you so much for all the interest and lovely reviews. Thank you to cherucaustic for the initial prompt :)

And last, but certainly not least, thank you to my lovely beta H T Elia who always made me laugh with her comments and who I annoyed with deadlines! Thanks chuck!

* * *

_This is gospel for the fallen ones__  
__Locked away in permanent slumber__  
__Assembling their philosophies__  
__From pieces of broken memories…_

_And truth be told, I never was yours__  
__The fear, the fear of falling apart_

_This is Gospel by Panic! at the Disco_

* * *

They really did try to do the opposite to all the cute couples that Mark and Sebastian had mocked, but in their attempts to be an ordinary couple with realistic expectations, Mark and David convinced no one. At a weekly dinner with Kurt and Blaine, they deliberately avoided touching, but it seemed that whatever they did, they were merely inches apart. David would help set the table, whilst Mark helped Kurt with the food, only to find that he would bump into David as he put a dish down. Or as David reached to get glasses from a higher cupboard, he would accidentally knock Mark's shoulder. David blushed and Mark would apologise, but Blaine and Kurt knew. And their insufferable smirks were too much for Mark.

"Oh, will you just stop," he said, stopping in the middle of the kitchen, causing everyone to pause and look. "I know what you're doing and I can see why it would drive Sebastian away."

At the mention of his ex-roommate, Kurt's face fell. He'd been mocking David and Mark for a while gently laughing and knowingly glancing at Blaine. But the thought of Sebastian with no one made him stop.

"That's not fair," Blaine said, coming closer to Kurt in an attempt to save him from further pain. "Sebastian left of his own free will. He felt he needed to, it is not _our_ fault."

Mark looked a little contrite and finally sat at the table, joined by David. Kurt assembled dinner on the table in silence, and by Blaine's help, they finally sat down to eat.

"Do you think he's okay?" Kurt asked. No one had started to eat, so Kurt broke the silence. Mark looked kindly at Kurt, realising his earlier mistake.

"I don't really think you drove him away," Mark said. "I just think he'd had enough of soulmates. He needed to be on his own."

"Have you heard from him?" Kurt asked and David seemed to be suddenly aware of how Mark would find the conversation awkward around him. He touched his knee and Mark clung onto his hand in gratitude, offering a smile.

"No, I don't think he'd want me to contact him. He needs his space, I get that."

Kurt nodded.

"He knows how to contact us, Kurt," Blaine said, touching Kurt's arm gently. "When he's ready he'll come back."

"I hope so."

* * *

In the end it took a wedding invitation to prompt his return. He hated to admit it, but Sebastian had always known that Kurt was a great friend and he missed him terribly. But getting on with his degree, making new friends that hadn't met their soulmate yet either, had been the best thing for Sebastian. He was the life and soul of a party and yet his wit and charm ensured he made genuine friends. He enjoyed mocking other soulmates with kindness and mirth, encouraging laughs from his friends and they greatly admired his optimism. But they knew that despite his positive attitude, deep down Sebastian was lonely and really just waiting for 'the one', just like everyone else.

Kurt and Blaine would still see Sebastian on occasion, but the closeness was lost and although it hurt Kurt to know he'd lost a good friend, he knew and respected the reasons for his distance. As graduation approached, Blaine had always known that a wedding would be the natural conclusion for the best four years of his life.

The proposal had been simple and sweet but exactly what Kurt had wanted. They'd often joked about those couples that needed the show and the performance of a proposal and really their love was better than that. Kurt wanted class and love and romance, not a cabaret. So Blaine started planning as they started their junior year of college.

They'd found a place, somewhere only they knew, and although it wasn't as quiet as their place in Ohio, they still managed to lie back and watch the stars, just like old times. After busy times, and assignments coming out of their ears, Kurt needed his time to unwind and one day he returned from class to find a simple note on their kitchen table.

_Why don't we go somewhere only we know?_

Kurt smiled, knowing exactly why Blaine had written the note today. It was the two year anniversary of their collision, their bodies finally realising what they should have known since they were little. He rushed to their secluded spot, only to find it completely quiet and devoid of other people.

He lay down on a blanket he'd brought and looked at the clear sky and the many stars. He smiled upwards, thinking that he hadn't felt so at peace for a while, with all the buzzing to and fro of college and work. The silence was broken softly by someone singing, though it still seemed so far away.

_It's just another night__  
__And I'm staring at the moon__  
__I saw a shooting star__  
__And thought of you__  
__I sang a lullaby__  
__By the waterside and knew__  
__If you were here,__  
__I'd sing to you_

_So open your eyes and see__  
__The way our horizons meet__  
__And all of the lights will lead__  
__Into the night with me__  
__And I know these scars will bleed__  
__But both of our hearts believe__  
__All of these stars will guide us home_

Kurt sat up and watched as Blaine had approached but it was only as he came closer that he stood to meet him, the biggest smile graced his face.

_I can hear your heart__  
__On the radio beat__  
__They're playing 'Chasing Cars'__  
__And I thought of us_

Kurt laughed as Blaine sang, clutching his hand to his chest. It was just like Blaine had written the song for them.

_Back to the time,__  
__You were lying next to me__  
__I looked across and fell in love__  
__So I took your hand__  
__Back through lamp lit streets I knew__  
__Everything led back to you_

_So can you see the stars?__  
__Over Amsterdam__  
__You're the song my heart is__  
__Beating to_

Kurt let him finish and clapped, leaning in for a kiss and thanking him for the best anniversary gift. But Blaine hadn't finished.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting down on one knee," Blaine said, smiling upwards from his position on the grass as he watched Kurt realise what was happening.

"We've been here so many times, and to our place in Ohio, but you may not know that I knew before. I knew as I watched the stars above me when I was on my own or with you in special places. It's never really felt like I've been getting to know you, it's always felt like I was remembering you from something. As if in every lifetime that you and I have ever lived, we've chosen to come back and find each other and fall in love all over again. Over and over. For all eternity. And I just feel so lucky that I found you so soon in this lifetime, because all I want to do, all I've ever wanted to do, is spend my life loving you." Kurt looked overwhelmed, his eyes filling as he stared down at his soulmate.

"So, Kurt Hummel, my amazing friend, my one true love, will you marry me?" All Kurt could do in that moment was nod.

"Yes," he whispered and then swallowed to get better control of his voice. "Yes."

Blaine looked ecstatic and leapt up to pull Kurt towards himself in a tight embrace, with a kiss to end all kisses.

It had always been inevitable, but Kurt felt the need to qualify his simple agreement.

"I _choose_ to marry you, Blaine," he whispered as Blaine's lips left his. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

* * *

Kurt called out to Sebastian as soon as he saw the back of his best friend on his wedding day. Sebastian turned and smiled, confidently nodding his head in acknowledgment of the greeting.

"You look amazing," Sebastian said as he came closer, "You really do brush up good, Kurt."

"So do you," Kurt said, looking him up and down. "You wore what I sent you." He had been apprehensive about it, not sure if Sebastian would be willing to be directed, but Bas had worn the given outfit and he looked pretty dapper.

"Yeah, everyone follows the fashion advice of one Kurt Hummel," he said, smiling to let Kurt know that all was as it should be.

"It's great to see you."

"Well I wouldn't miss the wedding of the century," Sebastian said. "My best friend would kill me."

Kurt's face fell though he tried to school it otherwise. "Oh? Someone from college?"

"Oh the best, but I knew him from high school actually. And he really can shake his tush on the dance floor."

There was a beat of silence and then Sebastian saw the realisation dawn on Kurt's face. Kurt laughed.

"We have all of that to look forward to tonight," Kurt said, grabbing his arm, causing Sebastian's eyes to widen. "But first we need to get in our place."

Kurt was surprisingly strong and able to pull Sebastian all the way to a little alcove before he could be stopped.

"Our place, what are you talking about?"

"You're my best man silly," Kurt said smiling wide. "I couldn't risk you wearing any old thing as you walk down the aisle with me."

Sebastian dropped his jaw slightly, causing Kurt to giggle.

"You think I'd leave you out of the wedding party?"

Sebastian shook his head slowly.

"Good," Kurt said nodding, "Because Blaine will be walking towards me with Mark and I need to look as confident as you at all times."

Sebastian recovered, his heart beating fast in pleasure. He hadn't been forgotten; he was just as treasured as ever.

* * *

Gabriel Clarke had seen enough weddings but this one had to be his first where love was just everywhere. It wasn't even that obvious or tacky, just _there_ and he stood back after his job was done and wondered how it had been achieved. The flowers were tastefully done, mainly white lilies, the baby cupcakes were cute but surrounded the more traditional round cake for the two guys to cut. The music was happy and clearly the band knew all the personal family favourites because all the uncles and Burt were on the dance floor showing off their best moves. Even people that weren't dancing and having obvious fun, were set to the side and having animated happy conversations full of laughter and nostalgia. Gabriel crossed his arms and just surveyed the room.

"I know, it's everywhere isn't it?" said a voice, suddenly by Gabriel's side, sardonic and almost gleeful.

"What is?" Gabriel said, turning to face the taller guy who had spoken. He wasn't expecting the guy to have such mirth on his face or such striking eyes.

"Love," Sebastian said, pulling a face, but in such a jokey manner that Gabriel knew he didn't mean it.

"You know them well?" Gabriel asked, "You're one of the best men, right?"

Sebastian nodded. "Remember taking my photo?"

"Yes," Gabriel laughed, "Amongst the many others tonight, you were one that stood out."

"I'm nearly a foot taller than Kurt and Blaine," Sebastian said, "I would."

Gabriel joined in the laughter, feeling instantly lighter and suddenly aware that his job for the day, as wedding photographer, was coming to an end.

"Need a drink?"

"Yeah, that would be great. I'll have…"

Gabriel was cut off as he turned to fully face Sebastian only to find that Sebastian had decided to face him too. Gabriel's hand brushed along Sebastian's arm, just gently, barely there, but it was enough. It started.

Sebastian's eyes went wide at the sudden sensation.

"You're Gabriel?" he whispered in shock as Gabriel realised the same and mouthed the name of his soulmate too. They came closer, hearts beating quicker and they embraced.

It was only as he looked over Gabriel's shoulder that he could see Blaine and Kurt still dancing on the dance floor. Kurt smiled over Blaine's shoulder, his eyes twinkling and Sebastian knew. That cheeky bastard had known all along! But boy was he was grateful.

And he decided then and there that he would name his first born son, Kurt.

* * *

**Songs quoted**:

'This is Gospel' by Panic! At the Disco

'All of the Stars' by Ed Sheeran

* * *

**A/N**: I don't have anything to write at the moment and no immediate ideas or plans but I don't really want to say goodbye either! If you ever have a prompt or something you want me to write, just let me know. I know my writing quality has diminished recently but I always enjoy writing a good story!

I'll just say au revoir instead!


End file.
